April 28, 2010

Last week I received this question in my email from a blog reader: “I wonder with the proliferation of print on demand companies reducing the need for inventory, providing on-line marketing capabilities, and the writer keeping a higher percentage of the book profits, what in your opinion, is the best route to go and why?”

 If you read my other comments on self-publishing in “The Four D’s” or “Publishing Confusion,” you probably guessed that I am negative about self-publishing. [Do read those articles-there are links to various websites where you can become more informed-and warned.]

Some of my opinion comes from personal experience: none of my 35 books were self-published. Some of my opinion comes from seeing writing friends and students get burned by false promises. (Yes, the writer gets to keep a higher percentage of book profits, but often those profits are miniscule. Fifty percent of a meager amount is still a pittance.) And some of my opinion comes from what I’ve heard agents and editors say (their negative perceptions of self-published books and authors.) I’m afraid that in at least nine cases out of ten, self-publishing turns out to be a very disappointing (and often expensive) experience.

Good Option for Some

Are there times that self-publishing something makes sense? Definitely so. Perhaps you’re a frequent speaker for a national organization like MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), and you speak to large audiences many times per year. If you have a nonfiction book that this group would love, then a print-on-demand book (POD book) could be a good idea. You have a built-in audience and credibility as an expert through your speaking. (I’ve heard of many professionals-from agents to landscape gardeners-who’ve been able to sell hundreds of books when they speak at conferences.) But they had credibility first-and a built-in large audience for their books. 

My One Experience with Self-Publishing

For the above reasons, I decided to e-publish a couple of $7 e-booklets this month. [See "Don't Re-Invent the Wheel."] I had the credibility first. Most of my published books are novels, so “50 Tension Techniques” was easy to put together from a workshop on that subject that I’ve done at many SCBWI events. And since eleven of my published books are mysteries, I had the credibility for “Writing Mysteries for Young People.”

And my built-in audience? I’ve had a website for many years, a blog for four years, and already had friends on my Facebook and Twitter pages. Everything was already in place for “e-sales.”

And (this is key to me), it was almost free to set up. I just added information pages to my website and blog. (If I had used PayPal instead of ClickBank, it would have been totally free to e-publish them, but my Google research turned up a lot of disgruntled PayPal experiences, so I opted to pay the one-time $49 ClickBank fee.)

What About Self-Published Fiction?

Self-published nonfiction out-sells self-published fiction by an enormous margin. Few people starting out as novelists have a speaking platform where they can sell their books. Few have a huge following online-and you must have if you expect to market your novel online. Otherwise you are stuck marketing the book from the trunk of your car, begging a few small bookstores to stock your self-published novel (the chain stores won’t), and arranging your own autograph parties and signings where you will probably sell fewer than a dozen books.

With self-published novels you won’t have the kind of support you get when published by traditional publishers. [For example, my latest publisher has nine of my books on their website, which I'm sure gets a lot more hits than my website! They have separate pages for the mysteries and the devotionals.] In addition, the four mysteries and one devotional are all getting new covers in May and another “publicity push” from the publisher. Traditional publishers can do that-they have whole publicity and promotion teams who work on such things.

Publicity and Promotion

When you self-publish, remember that you are the publisher (or you pay for it), the art designer (unless you pay for that service too), and your book’s publicity/promotion/sales team. Most of the on-line promotion packages that self-publishing companies want to sell you are things you could do for yourself for FREE.

And unless you already have a big following, your sales will be minimal. Most self-published books are way over-priced. Why would a stranger take a chance and buy a novel from an unknown self-published author when the same money will buy him a famous name author’s novel? Once self-published authors have run through their friends and family members, the pickings are slim when it comes to sales.

Be Extra Careful

If you are considering self-publishing, please thoroughly research the pros and cons first. Do Google searches on “self-publishing scams.” For each company that wants to “publish” your book, Google them. Contact other authors they’ve “published” and ask about their sales and what the “extra services” (like editing, marketing, book jackets) cost them. (Remember: with a traditional publisher, all those services are free to you and done by whole teams of professionals: editors, publicists, sales reps, promotion, etc.)

Do not let your blind faith or impatience to publish make you naïve. Take time to get your facts. Self-publishing is very risky business for an author. Except in rare cases (like those mentioned earlier), I can’t recommend it.

9 Comments »

1. 

   This is great advice, Kristi. I’ll also emphasize that with self-publishing unless you pay extra, your book will not be edited. You may think every word is precious, every sentence perfectly constructed, and every word spelled correctly–but you’d be wrong! A good editor makes your work better. Also, many self-publishing plans cost you a lot of cash up front, which you are unlikely to recoup. Let the writer beware! I second Kristi’s admonition to be wise and patient in getting your work published.

   Comment by Jane Healy — April 28, 2010 @ 6:36 am

2. 

   Jane, you are so right. We ALL need editorial feedback–and from someone who knows what they’re talking about. I think maybe this craze is another side of the “instant gratification” society we’ve become. Being patient and working hard on your writing–in the long run–is actually the fastest way to build a solid career.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — April 28, 2010 @ 8:28 am

3. 

   Hi Kristi,

   The self-publishing route sounds like a “make work” project. With few exceptions I don’t know how you would find time to write a new book at the same time as be self-published.

   Great Post.
   Ally

   Comment by Ally M — April 28, 2010 @ 9:02 am

4. 

   Ally, that’s another drawback–you’re so right. I know a couple of people who self-published and ended up taking off time from writing (one took off a year, one took two whole years!) in order to sell their books. Neither one even came close to recouping the money they spent, and they lost so much writing time. I’ve got enough to do without having to fill all the publisher’s roles too!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — April 28, 2010 @ 10:31 am

5. 

   True words, Kristi.

   I recently heard of a friend’s mom who self-published her picture book. Since I’d been writing consistently for about four or five years, at first there was a bit of a twinge and a sigh. Although one of my PBs had been considered for several months by a publisher, they eventually decided it didn’t fit their particular niche in the market. So here I was, still plugging away while this author had, apparently, arrived at the publishing destination.

   But on the other hand, I was glad it wasn’t me. I wouldn’t self-publish. I don’t think it’s wise. I don’t have the room in my garage to turn it into a warehouse, or the time to put on every hat that publishing a book would require. I worked in a publishing house art department, and I remember how hard the entire team works to take a project from beginning to end. There are a lot of things that I don’t know, but I’m thankful that someone does know about that process. I’m willing to keep trying to find that someone who can help me take my book to a win-win situation for both of us.

   There’s a scale factor involved in publishing. If your goal is just to get a printed book into your hands with your name on it, then it doesn’t really matter if you self-publish or go the other route. The odds are you’ll stay small scale, and the profits will be small scale too. But if you want to publish on a larger scale, you’ll need a team with the knowledge, experience, and market presence that you can partner your book with.

   Comment by Beth Mac — April 28, 2010 @ 11:57 am

6. 

   Beth, you have the insider knowledge of having worked in a publishing house and realize how many people are involved in producing a good book. We just aren’t skilled in all those roles. And to pay for the services of such individuals gets soooo expensive! If you want a career, publishers have to pay YOU–not the other way around.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — April 30, 2010 @ 7:38 am

7. 

   Kristi, thank you for addressing my question and to everyone for their great advice.

   I have some more questions relating to publishing. . .
   Would you consider using a newly formed publishing company?
   What questions should a writer ask a new publisher to ensure they are getting the appropriate care and attention that their book will need.

   Comment by Irene — May 6, 2010 @ 10:52 am

8. 

   Irene, that question is too long for a comment here, and also I think others would be interested in this question. In fact, I think you just gave me my blog topic for tomorrow!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — May 6, 2010 @ 5:40 pm

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