Before we delve into the nitty-gritty subject of
self-publishing, let’s recap.
Publishing is changing. I pretty much beat that
concept to death in my ‘ocean’ analogy in Publishing
1: Am I Ready? In Publishing 2: What
does ‘published’ really mean? I listed three main reasons authors
self-publish, including the following: 1) to reach an audience, 2) to build a
company, and/or 3) to be discovered by the major publishing houses. Finally,
you may wish to reference the common publishing terms covered in Publishing 3: What You Need To Know.
Self-publishing is a term that refers to authors
who legally incorporate and then coordinate the writing, editing, construction,
printing, and marketing of their books. They like the idea that they can not
only earn a higher percentage of profit on their novels, but that they can also
maintain more control over their product. Often, self-publishers are people
tired of the old ‘system’. Others do not want the interference of outsiders in
the editing of their work. Still others self-publish as a means to get
recognized by bigger publishing houses. One success story told me that after
selling around 2000 self-published books, large publishing houses will start to
take notice. That number is not easy to achieve. Most self-publishers sell only
around 65 books in their lifetimes.
Self-publishing calls for significant upfront
costs, as well as a good deal of sweat equity. Effective self-publishers know
both when to pay for help from outside sources and how to save money by doing
things in-house.
The following is a list of things you should
consider outsourcing:
1)
Printing: As self-publishing continues to grow, companies have
evolved to provide inexpensive, relatively quick printing options.
InstantPublisher (http://www.instantpublisher.com/)
and Book Masters (http://www.bookmasters.com/)
typically offer print times of a month or less. The books my company produces
cost between $3.00 and $4.00 a copy because we order the high-quantity of 1000
books. Do not forget to add shipping cost and time to your calculations. (Tip: InstantPublisher has a team of
people who really want to help you. They have some of the best prices in the
business, but their covers may weather in heat and sun. For bulk orders of
paperback, Book Masters may actually be a better choice—though I have never
worked with them personally.)
2)
Cover illustration: Unless you have an astounding talent for graphic
art or drawing and have considered
going into that business professionally, I recommend you hire a professional
illustrator to design your cover. As the cover is the first blush readers will
have with your work, it is essential to hire a talented, experienced, and nonbiased
party. But who should you select? Many online printers will offer cover
illustration. This can be a good option. However, working with local people can
be even better. Locals in the graphic art business can often make a smooth
transition to cover design. They have databases of images, are easily
accessible for changes (something much harder to do with an Internet hire), are
experienced with copyrights, and can be relatively inexpensive. When he was
just beginning my designer charged $500-$600, depending on how much the purchasing
of images costs. The cover is not only worth the money, but also averages out
to a very low cost per book. Furthermore, its creation is a fun process when
you are working with a creative individual! (Tip: If you live in Maine, work with Ande Binan of Davinci Signs.
Though he does not advertise it, he has done over half a dozen excellent
covers. The link is: http://www.davincisigns.net/.)
3)
Editing: You cannot edit your own book entirely. You just never will
catch all those grammar mistakes. Whether it be friends and family with an
English degree or one of the many professional editors offering services to
self-publishers and aspiring authors everywhere, get good editing help. (Tip: Though I have never used this
company personally, check out: https://www.facebook.com/AuroraPub.)
The following is a list of things you should
consider not outsourcing:
1)
ISBNs: As whoever owns the ISBN owns the rights to produce a book,
incorporate and buy your own ISBN number from www.isbn.org/.
2)
Warehousing: As a true self-publisher, you want to save
every penny you can. Having your books stored somewhere else not only racks up
warehousing fees, but also shipping fees when you need to have the books sent
to you. As long as you have control of your product, you can sell your product.
Many authors choosing to print, warehouse, and sell through one service find
the lower upfront cost attractive, but later find it frustrating not to have a
bulk of copies readily available at home. This decision depends on how many
copies you hope to sell and how much advertising work you are ready to do.
3)
Advertising: TOMS shoes, which gives away a pair of shoes
for every pair they sell, has reached the 10 million shoe mark in just seven
years. With no advertising budget.
How does that work? Word of mouth—a self-publisher’s new best friend. You can
pay thousands of dollars and hope your ads gain you sales, or you can motivate
people to share word about your book. Consider forgoing the huge costs. Instead
do the legwork. People are motivated when the writing is good, the message is
great, and they have pictures, blog posts, videos, and quotes to share easily
with their friend. When you inspire readers, they are no longer promoting your
business. They are promoting their cause.
So, in summary, self-publishing will call upon
every drop of courage and energy you possess. It will stretch your talents,
break your heart, and—just maybe—allow you to soar. Many are, justifiably,
intimidated by the learning curve of self-publishing. Just remember to do a lot
of research (the Internet stores pretty much everything you could wish to know,
but picking up instructional books can’t hurt either), keep costs low, and get
word of mouth flowing.
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