A couple of days ago, I wrote about traditional publishing. Today I'm going to discuss self-publishing as an alternative. Be warned: I have never self-published so all information I'm sharing here is second-hand. You could probably find any of this info elsewhere, but let's face it, that's true for everything I'm sharing here and everything else on the Internet, so just stay here ok?
Self-Publishing
I recently attended a writer's workshop in which the highs and lows of self-publishing were discussed in great detail. Before this workshop, I had never before considered self-publishing to be a viable alternative. I can now see the merits of it, which I will share with you. Bonus, you don't have to sit through a writer's workshop.
Pro: Self Publishing Gives You Full Control
Are you a control freak? Great! Self-publish your work and you don't have to answer to anyone. You are fully in charge of every aspect of your book.
Con: Self-Publishing Requires Full Control
Do you know what you're doing? If the answer is no, you are out of luck. When you self publish, you are in charge of everything from cover design to marketing. You have to get your own book on bookshelves. You have to get the word out to people to try to get them to buy your book. Before all of that, you have to do the editing, page layout, everything. It’s a lot.
Pro: Your Book is Your Own
I complained about this in my last blog but I’m going to go there again. A somewhat high-profile publisher was interested in my novel, “The Life After,” but only if I basically changed the entire context and rewrote the whole thing. There aren’t enough o’s in the world to say noooooooo hard enough. That was not going to happen. I thought to myself, I'd rather not have it published than publish something I can't stand behind.
Con: Your Feedback is Your Own
I feel really strongly that my novel is solid. I wouldn’t have tried to get it published otherwise. However, my novel only became as good as it is once my editor got a hold of it and showed me where there were problems. Some of them I sort of already sensed but others I did not. I never would have gotten there on my own.
Pro: It Gives You a Sense of Fulfillment
You wrote a book and you want to see it published. There are platforms to do this on your own without the hassle of going through an agent and/or publisher. If all you want is to have a book in hand, a self-published book may be the way to go.
Con: It Doesn’t Give You a Sense of Fulfillment
For me, personally, self-publishing was not the right fit. I may have a bit of impostor syndrome. Me telling myself that I think my book is good isn't enough for me. I need someone else to say, "Hey, that's good, I'll publish that." And then, frankly, I need about 1,000 more people to say that because I still, to this very moment, think people are just being nice. Self-publishing would not have fulfilled me. That said, I know quite a few people who've self published and they have done very well for themselves.
Pro: You Retain Your Rights
For a lot of authors, this is the biggest, most important part of self-publishing. When you sign a publishing contract with a press, you sign away your rights to that work. The press can then use your book however they want within the constraints of the contract. You, on the other hand, cannot. If someone comes to you wanting to turn your novel into a movie, play, comic book or TV series, you have to go through your publisher.
Con: You Lose Your Rights Anyway
You have to copyright your work on your own without a publisher. That's not easy and it's not free. In addition, if someone takes your idea and runs with it, claiming it as their own, it is nearly impossible to prove - especially if you don't have someone else on your side.
Pros: It Can Be Fast
You want that book in your hand right now? Self publish. You can have a digital book as soon as tomorrow. Using a service like Amazon Print-on-Demand, you'll have a book in less than a week. Most authors take much longer to ensure they have a good product, but even those who really take their time with the publishing portion can have a book published within 1-2 months. Conversely, traditional publishing can take forever. I started shopping my book to publishers and agents in December 2021. I signed with my agent in February of 22. I signed a publishing contract in the summer of 23. My book will be released this fall. It takes time.
Con: It Can Be Expensive
I'm not talking about hybrid or vanity presses just yet. Those will come in future posts. Self-publishing is popular because it's "free." However, it's not really. You are responsible for:
editing, proofreading, publishing, promotion, cover design and book award entries plus copyright and obtaining an ISBN number and barcode. It is impossible to estimate the cost because some authors skip most of that and pay the $100ish dollars for copyright and ISBN while doing the rest on the fly and, usually, ending up with a subpar product. Others spend significantly more hiring experts to do the hard work. Still others buy self-publishing packages, which are not cheap. I have heard stories of people losing their retirement savings on that novel they always wanted to write, but I don't know if they are true. I do personally know one author, who I will not name, who spent more than a year's salary on a self-published book venture. That was 18 years ago and he still hasn't recouped his losses.
I obviously don't think self-publishing is the right choice for a majority of authors. However, it could be a good fit for you if you are very determined and skilled at editing, marketing and design. It also might be the best fit if all you care about is having a book in hand. Otherwise, try the traditional route. It might take longer, but it will be worth it!
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