Self-publishing for my books was a conscious choice, not a back-up plan. Or at least it started out as a backup plan. Quickly, it became so much more than sloppy seconds. There was power in the control I had over every aspect of my book. There was the overlap of social media marketing necessary for my book that publishers would expect me to do anyway without their help. There was the ability to release books on my timetable, not theirs.
The dream of all new writers is to write a Great Novel, send it off to an agent or publisher. They adore the manuscript and a book contract is forthcoming. The writer rides off into the sunset as a newly minted author. But with Amazon, Ingram Spark, and others made it possible and convenient to release a book on your own. The old-school way-it-was pathways were no longer necessary.
Would I have published traditionally given a chance? Maybe. But as I’ll mention later, there were reasons for me not considering that route compared to the other options I already had. And I took the risk of standing or falling by my own choices. I was willing to take that risk.
Control at Every Point
This was the point of highest risk. Risk of your finances and sanity. It is insanely expensive to produce a book on your own. Especially if you want your book to be as good as a publishing house work. Little expenses (or big) add up fast. You need professional editing (multiple rounds), paperback and ebook formatting, cover design, and hard copy copies. Then there’s the marketing materials like bookmarks, stickers and business cards, website design and maintenance, copyright registration fees, and ISBN purchases. That doesn’t include any extras too numerous to list.
As expensive as it is, every single bit of it is yours to design, approve, and release when you want. Sounds like a lot? It is. But I adore my beautiful covers because my cover designer and I worked together to make something I loved. If I ever want to change it, I get a new one made and attach it to the files already on Amazon or Ingram Spark. I don’t have to get anyone’s approval and I do it whenever I like.
I don’t write to the market. I write what speaks to me and make it available to people who might like it. I discovered that in the traditional publishing world, how well you wrote hardly mattered. Ok, it did matter, but it was a secondary consideration of what the be-alls of the publishing industry were looking for. They only invest in books they feel will sell well, while only offering a limited type of book for people to read. It didn’t necessarily reflect what the readers were reading or would read. Not to mention I wasn’t writing my books for wide audiences. I had something to say in a particular niche and it was one that agents and publishers weren’t buying. How do you compete against that?
You can’t.
Social Media Marketing Machine
One of the biggest letdowns about the traditional publishing industry was their change in marketing behavior. Thirty to fifty years ago, if you were lucky to get offered a publishing deal for your manuscript, then the publishing house took on most of the heavy lifting for marketing your book. The author could expect to do some book signings at local bookstores. If their book was popular enough, they might do some promotion tours.
That’s not the way it is anymore. Traditional publishers no longer handle marketing for the authors unless they are one of the top-tier monsters of the industry, like Steele, King or Sanderson. It’s actually written into the contract that the author will do a certain amount of marketing for their own book. The publishers limit their involvement to slapping a cover on it, printing a bunch and getting it in bookstores. Anyone can use Ingram Spark for the same thing.
Authors who have spent time trying to get attention for their book know it is a matted, twisted jungle out there. Hundreds of other authors are trying to do the same thing. But the publishing houses want to send you in with no water or machete. Good luck!
If you have to hack away at the jungle, you do your own research. And buy your own equipment so you have the right tools and supplies for the job. And a quick search on Pinterest or YouTube will bring up hundreds of resources teaching you how to navigate it all, most of them from other authors already doing it.
My Timetable
I’ve spoken to other authors, so I know I’m not alone in this sentiment. You’ve put blood, sweat and tears into writing and editing a finished draft of your book. It is the best thing since Shakespeare and you can’t wait for everyone to read it. You’re sure it will be well-received if it's accessible.
Nope. One of the most disappointing aspects of the traditional publishing game was the time from finished draft to book on a shelf. Time wasted away waiting for responses to queries. Months and months would go by before you’d receive a “thanks, but no thanks” in your inbox. And then the process would start all over again with more queries sent. It seemed a colossal waste of hope, energy and precious time submitting to someone who probably didn’t even read the first page.
And when authors got picked up, it was months and months of contract negotiations and approvals. Their books sat on a shelf waiting for its turn to be churned out of the publishing house machine, and before it was available on the bookstore shelves. That entire process can take upwards of a year and a half or more. All told, three years could pass before your book sees the light of day.
I control the timeline. All of the above steps of producing a book speeds up to weeks rather than years. On average it's taken about two months to get everything in place so I can start the marketing process for my book. Then another month or two for bare minimum marketing. That's a lot better wait than years.
Am I rolling in cash now that I’ve self-published my book? No. My book catalog contains two books right now–Sweetwater and Rose. My marketing efforts so far have been spotty at best. I don’t expect my books to have rocketed to the stratosphere. Not to mention the fact that disabled woman/able-bodied man romances, or inter-abled romances, are not exactly a hot ticket–yet. But Sweetwater has some excellent reviews and I’m preparing to release Ophelia by the end of the year. On my schedule.
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Do you find most of your books at the bookstore or online like Amazon?
Answer in your social media, and tag me to check it out!
Happy Reading!
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