I am writing a book. Should I self-publish?
I am writing a bestseller. Isn't everyone? ;-)
Well, I haven't written a 'book' before but I have written many essays on my blog. All my friends and online neighbors seem to like my writings and they always ask me to write more. So, encouraged by my 'readers', I had decided to write my first book and the book is now 51% completed.
Since I am an unknown writer, I don't expect to get a break from any publishers. 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' was turned down by 140 publishers before it got published. So, my only option would be to self-publish my book. I know there are a few self-publish websites.
Should I self-publish first and see if it's interesting for the big publishers to consider printing? Or, should I try to find an agent and knock on some doors first? Please advice.
Clarification added October 27, 2008:
The book I am writing is a non-fiction. It's about changing a lifestyle. I believe it will be categorized as self-help.
Answers (26)
Dave M.
Professional trade show booth traffic builder and party entertainer. Corporate and private sector events.
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Cheaper to self publish and you can print as few or as many as you wish. Go for it...
Dave G.
Documentation Consulting
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Depends on what the book topic is (non-fiction/fiction, self-help/just-facts) and what your end purpose is.
If your book is fiction, self-publishing is faster for getting it "out-there", but may squelch any further interest later from publishing companies. Publishers don't consider a "self-published" book to be a "published" book.
Also, fiction has fewer markets...and you have to develop a "following" (there are ways to do it, but they aren't pretty and take a lot of work if you aren't already connected).
Nonfiction gives you a lot more options. If it's a *hot* topic, then publishers might fight over you to get your book. But they might not want to pay much--especially if this is your first. If you already have a blog, and a following (!), you can self-publish the book (but be sure to get professional editing and design!), then turn the book into seminars and workshops (and sell the books at these functions as well). Talk about your book on your MySpace, your Twitter, your FaceBook, your LinkedIn, your Blog, and so on. Digg it. Reddit, Delicious it. Get links to your book or discussions of your book EVERYWHERE. (This is the "ugly" part--it's called *marketing*.)
If you are an expert on the topic of your book, you can mention this fact in a press-release to your local and other newspapers and magazines. This also gets a buzz going about your book and creates DEMAND.
You absolutely MUST get an ISBN registration for the book. The ISBN is how Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon, and other booksellers keep track and inventory your book.
If the book is FICTION, finish the manuscript FIRST. Then perhaps attend some writers' conferences... meet other authors, agents, editors, and publishers. Pitch your book there. Show them the manuscript. You might get lucky and have an agent want to represent you. You might also get lucky and have a publisher beg to publish it. (Note that I said "Might".)
If you self-publish the book, then the agents and publishers won't want to talk to you about THAT particular book. They'll ask you what else you have in the wings.
There's not much room here to delve deeply into the fine art of getting published... but I hope this has been somewhat helpful.
By all means, get a copy of Writer's Market. Read a bunch of issues of The Writer, Writer's Journal, and Writer's DIgest. They also have solid advice for newbies.
Most of all. Develop "thick skin"... there's lots of REJECTION out there. Just barrel through it.
Best of luck to you!
Links:
Sasha G.
Marketing Manager & co-founder, Marketing at MD Clients (WOM Communications, LLC)
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if you find a publisher, don't do it yoursef. It's just seem to be cheaper, but in real world, you just don't have enough budget to market your book yourself. I would recommend you rather let yourself be raped by the publisher on earnings, then by your own attitude on pre-marketing strategies.
Or, you can try both... see which plan works better
Meredith G.
Digital Strategist and Communications Consultant for Mission-based Organizations
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Self publishing has a lot to commend it. You can do a lot on your own, but should get your manuscript professionally edited, proofread, designed (interior and exterior). There's also the matter of getting an ISBN (not difficult) and filing with the Library of Congress. I'd caution against moving forward too quickly with a print-on-demand publisher, for a variety of reasons. What you decide will depend on how much control you want to have over quality and how much time you have to ensure that you produce a quality book on every level.
Don't feel like doing that part? You could hire a project manager.
Meredith G. also suggests this expert on this topic:
I'm in the slow process of writing my first book as well, while maintaining a full time job as an editor and part time job as a freelance writer. I imagine things are probably tedious right now trying to get the book written and I'm sure it's overwhelming to think about publishing. I'm planning on sending my book to publishers. I just don't have the time to put the effort into marketing and getting the word out about my book. I would much rather a publisher and agent do all the all work I don't have to. Plus, I can get good feedback. If 100 editors tell me that my book lacks structure and direction, then I need to go back to the drawing board.
So I'm a fan of having a publishing company publish, although it can often times be a very long process.
Ed G.
Epicure, Bon Vivant
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My friend, Michael Anderson, has helped many self-publish.
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/4/35a/146
You might want to talk to him.
Hi Michael,
It is very difficult, as you know, to get a traditional publisher to take your book if you are an unknown or first time author. I suggest that you do self-publish. Many traditional publishing houses get their new authors from established and well-known self publishing companies.
There are a couple of things that you should do before you submit your book to a print on demand (or self-publishing) company:
Have your book edited by a reputable editor.
Have a graphic designer do your book cover. The cover is very important when prospective readers who look at your book online (Amazon, etc.) Also, companies like the Midwest Book Review will review your book for free, but they are very particular. By their own admission, the book cover is paramount in the decision to review.
*************************************************************************
Most print on demand companies do not offer the above services. But, the bigger ones do. You might want to check out:
Trafford Publishing
Author House
There are others I can get you acquainted with, but I am not in the office right now. I can forward them to you if you wish. Let me know. You can contact me at; sirko47@hvc.rr.com
By the way, I am an editor, a certified English teacher with a masters in education. I own J. M. Sirko & Associates, Inc. Check us out at:
www.jmsirkoandassociates.com We are renovating our website so that it will be easier to read and navigate. If you are patient, there is a lot of information on the current website.
I wish you lots of luck in the future. I hope that you will be able to publish your book and get lots of readers. It's a very satisfying achievement. I know. I have two books out there.
Sincerely,
Jeannette M. Konior, M. Ed.
J. M. Sirko & Associates, Inc.
P. O. Box 204
Lake Katrine, NY 12449
Phone: 845-336-5685
Fax: 845-336-8168
Links:
Hey Michael --
I guess you should try to first self-publish. It really depends on who you want to have the book given to!
My guess is that you should really try the website lulu dot com, and let the readers of your blog order it through this service.
Hope this helps,
bests,
Luc
Links:
Michael
It will depend on what the book is about and what you want out of the whole experience. Do you want to get a big check? Do you want to use the book to increase your own credibility marketing efforts? Is it for your own gratification?
As a publisher I can tell you that unless you have a distributor with national reach your book wont make it far. You would have to have a huge budget to get your title in front of enough people on your own to make any sales.
So first decide why you are doing it and what you want out of the effort.
I would love to know what it is about.
Mike Webb
I have one self-published book, and there are good and bad aspects. The best thing is that I did get it published, and people like it a lot. (It even won an award... giving me further credibility.) The worst part is that I had to come up with all the money up front. Had to borrow and am still paying it off after 2005 publication.
Self-publication is not what it used to be when it was just called "Vanity Press." Self-published books do get a lot more respect than they used to, but still not as much as a work that is "chosen" by a professional publisher.
One of the hardest parts is that if you self-publish you will have to do a lot, if not all, of the marketing. I give programs and sell my book following those. And since my book is seen as a niche work (but it is really enjoyed by people in any market who give it a chance), I have the most success with sales at my programs.
I have finally broken through with an order from Barnes & Noble, which came after they saw it at a distributor showroom. They would not give me the time of day when I contacted them directly. On this note, many bookstores will not deal directly with a small publisher, but will only buy from a distribution house.... read at least 55% discount for you, and sometimes you have to pay the shipping too... not leaving a lot of profit. Now if you can manage to write something that sells 200,000 copies and only make a dollar a copy, that's still pretty good... but most self-published books don't make those levels.
Just make sure that the cover and contents look professional, that you get good editing, and be careful (if non-fiction and using references that you don't fudge on citations, copyrights, etc)
My book is <A HREF="http://www.booksleavingfootprints.com">North Country Cache</A> (Adventures on a National Scenic Trail)
Best of luck!
Clarification added October 27, 2008:
nuts... guess you can't put links in these answers... sorry
Victoria S.
Novelist, freelance writer, and co-founder of Writer Beware
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Self-publishing is suitable for some projects. It is not suitable for others. The odds of success are far slimmer with self-publishing than with commercial publishing. Before making a decision, I suggest you spend some time reading up on self-publishing and the challenges you'll face.
Note that true self-publishing--where you arrange for the editing, design, cover art, printing, marketing, and distribution yourself--is not the same as using a self-publishing service like AuthorHouse.
Larger publishers may be impressed by a self-published book if it can show significant sales--on the order of several thousand copies within the first year or so of release. However, because self-published authors aren't able to access the marketing and distribution channels of the book trade, it's very, very difficult to manage that kind of sales volume. Self-published books typically sell a few hundred copies at most.
It is absolutely not true that unknown writers can't get a break from publishers. If it were impossible for new writers to get published, how would there be any published writers at all? Is it hard to get published for the first time? Sure. But if your manuscript is marketable (and this is the Big If of publishing--not whether you have connections, or a platform, or have published before), the fact that you are unknown will not disadvantage you. In fact, an unknown writer--who might be the Next Big Thing--can be more attractive to a publisher than an established writer whose sales are flat or falling.
If you decide you want to approach commercial publishers (and why not try this first? You can always revisit the idea of self-publishing if it doesn't work out), you'll need to look for an agent if you want to approach the larger publishing houses. For smaller independent publishers, you probably don't need an agent.
Barbara S.
Writer
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Depends on the goal, the purpose, and the project. Every published writer was an unknown, unpublished writer at the beginning. Self-publishing might be the way to go, or you might do better getting an agent.
The real question is - what do you want from your book and what is your strategy for getting there? (Think beyond - "bestseller!!") If you have something to say that might appeal to a large audience, not attempting to get it "out there" cheats you and the public!
If your book is marketable (via and agent and a publisher), self-publishing first may hurt you rather than help. (Though, there are always exceptions.)
Go with a publisher. You want someone to read your book, correct? Publishers have the machine in place to give you the best chance that that will happen.
I recommend "The Well-Fed Self Publisher" (Peter Bowerman) for the most comprehensive guide to making a living as a publisher. The key to success seems to be non-fiction vs. fiction. The former is an attainable self publishing platform, while novels are much harder to self publish and then survive upon.
I advise the writers in my workshops to finish their book above all else before they seek a way to sell it. Non-fiction, however, can be a book deal before it's completed, just on the strength of a good query letter and a well-conceived proposal. Eight titles out of 10 are non-fiction, after all. Remember that a publisher wants to profit from the experience of putting you into print. You must tell them how you intend to sell what they will purchase from you -- because the writer is still and always the most dedicated salesperson in the chain of authorship and publishing.
Links:
Dear Michael:
Why not find out if a traditional publisher is interested before investing money in self publishing? Please send me an email about your project and I'll see if I can help.
All best,
Anita Diggs
Links:
Self-publishing is a good idea for starters. Online publishing companies are usually like one-stop shops. You just hand in your manuscript and they will do everything from data entry til marketing your book, both offline and online. By the way, I do editing for manuscripts. I have a web site: www.writerspeak.com. You can check on our packages. If you are interested, you can leave a message here or email me at dreamywadaby@yahoo.com. Thanks.
Nancy F.
Friendly Media Production & Marketing
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You can self publish through LULU.com, CREATESPACE.COM and for the KINDLE ebook format at http://dtp.amazon.com/mn/signin. Then start telling people about your book and see if it sells.
As the links below indicate, the process is usually pretty straight forward. Email me if you have questions :)
Links:
- http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fTagsSelected=&fSort=&fSearchDataFami...
- http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=...
Clarification added October 27, 2008:
Actually, what I should have written is . . . as the links below indicate, I find the process pretty straight forward and I expect you will as well.
Hi Michael
Firstly, you ought not say that because you are an "unknown" writer you do not expect to get a break from any publisher. Why shouldn't you? Every day "unknown" writers get books published and become known; in fact, all writers were once "unknown" even Dan Brown. So chin up!
Secondly, do first try to get a mainline publisher to publish your book. Best would be to find an agent and there are many sites where agents and their contact details are listed.
It is expensive to self-publish and drawing attention to your book is problematic. So where it might seem a solution, it's not all that simple. Know though that whichever road you decide to take, it will be slow going. Being my own agent, I have now been trying to find a publisher since September 8 - 51 days (see, I am counting the days!) for my true crime. So, one must be patient.
A writer's biggest obstacle is getting agents and publishers to reply to one's email or letter. Why this is so I do not know but agents and publishers are the most difficult people to get through too.
Currently, self-help books are doing great, so I hope that so will yours
Marilyn
Stephane D.
Storytelling , founder of Université du Storytelling
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Self-publishing is cheaper, of course, but you will never know how your text is really valuable. You will have it read by friends, relatives, and as it is a non-fiction one, some personal work (however interesting), those prime readers (who know you well) probably won't be able to read with the eyes of the average reader, who don't know anything about you.
So, there's a "publishability" bias you won't tackle acting that way (and don't count on mpublishers who will send you the traditional common refuse letter to help you).
So, my advice is : try to be published first, and if don't succeed, try other solutions such as lulu.com, which is one of the most interesting, and will let you order enough books for your relatives, maybe for the corner'book store, and, if the matter is interesting enough, try to develop some buzz marketing around it to enlarge the market.
I tell you because I'm the author of several books (all publisher published), but I have already advised authors of verry personal books (those are called "unpublishable" by publishers, which is not a bad quality criterion but a commercial criterion).
Elaine S.
Teacher, Speaker, Life Style Consultant
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Elaine S. suggests this expert on this topic:
Stephanie is a publishing consultant who is well-versed in the self-help market.
I suggest taking a look at her website and/or getting in contact with her.
www.Stephaniegunning.com.
Melanie J.
Marketing Expert, Author Of What You Know Is Worth More Than You Know! Original Content Information Products Expert
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Absolutely self-publish especially non-fiction, as you always want to maintain control over your creative content if you possibly can. A traditional publisher, if you can possibly even get one, is just going to make you do all the marketing anyway, and you get paid a much smaller royalty. Be prepared to spend the time marketing your "baby".
I've self-published 6 books with lucky number seven on infopreneuring on the way. Just remember the money is made as an infopreneur, not author. I just did a blog post on why it's so important to maintain creative control of your intellectual property on my blog, please see the resources below for this and the company I use for my POD printing and fulfillment. Best of luck to you, keep at it!
Links:
Ja W.
Keynote Motivational Speaker, Author, Business Consultant: "THINK, PLAN, EXECUTE!"™ -JaWar
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You'll learn a great deal about book publishing from self-publishing. Additionally, you earn more money per book sold when going through your own self-publishing company than you would through a traditional book publisher, typically. You maintain the rights to your material, so should it become extremely valuable in the marketplace you'll be in position to benefit from the additional revenue.
I've written and self-published several books and continue to enjoy the ride. While there are always exceptions to the rule authors that I've spoken to who have a traditional book publishing deal typically get between $2,000 to $15,000 for an advance and never see any money after that.
If you published your own book that sold at $20, you'd only need to sale/sell 100 book to earn $2,000 and 750 to earn $15,000 give or take a few pennies for printing, shipping and marketing.
100 isn't a lot of books to sell and even 750 isn't much when you THINK, PLAN, EXECUTE! You'll find some websites below that may be of extreme interest to you.
Links:
Kelley R.
Sales Keynote Speaker | Sales Trainer | Sales Expert | Sales Motivation | Sales Blogger & Author
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Hi Michael,
Just because you are a first-time author does not mean a publishing company won't take you on. Since you are writing non-fiction, you need to submit a great proposal because publishers seldom read unsolicited manuscripts. Please feel free to contact me directly and I will share the proposal template I used to get both my books published by John Wiley. kelley@robertsontraininggroup.com
A few additional comments:
1. Contrary to popular belief, publishers do NOT spend much money on marketing their books unless the author is well-known. That means YOU will still have to market and promote it.
2. You can negotiate a lot with a publisher. Royalties, buy-back price, advance, etc.
3. If you self-publish, invest in a GREAT editor and a GREAT designer. I have read many self-published books that look like they have been published by the author.
4. In the business world, very few people care if your book was self-published or produced by a publishing company. I have only had one business executive ever ask who published my books.
5. Publishing companies have a great distribution network but that doesn't mean your book will sell. Just because it's on a shelf in a bookstore, does not mean people will buy it. That's where your personal marketing efforts come into play.
I trust this helps.
Kelley
