Should I Self-Publish?

Despite having authored a stack of traditional books, I have twice engaged in self-publishing. With increasing frequency people ask me about self-publishing. So here I offer a few thoughts on the subject.

If you have a good book, can do self-marketing, and have access to a good cover/layout artists, and can pay a good editor, you might be a good candidate for self-publishing.

When might self-publishing work better than a traditional publisher?
• When the product you want to get out there is for a niche market.
• When you need to get product out there more quickly than the typical book production cycle would allow.

A writer I know got booked to be on a panel for a national radio show with about two months’ notice. No books on the market offered his particular point of view, which reflected the most recent research. So we drafted one, sent it to a copy editor, wrote back cover copy, had a graphic designer do covers, applied for an ISBN number, priced printing options, and got it printed. We did every step ourselves. Niche market; fast turnaround, great marketing opportunity. We cut a deal with the radio producer so the show would sell our product and mention its availability on the air. We have recouped our costs and then some. A year later, we took the idea to a traditional house, and they bought it.

What are the pros and cons?
CONS:
Copy editing, book cover design, layout, ISBN number, ISBN bar code production—all the things the publisher would do for you, you must either do for yourself or hire someone else to do for you.

You must do 100% of your own marketing. (But you probably wouldn’t get on “The View” even if Harper/Collins produced your book, right?)

Instead of receiving an advance, you fork over cash.

You have to find a place to store your extras unless you do a print-on-demand piece. Garages = humidity = curled pages. So you need storage space inside.

PROS:
You have more control over every detail of the final product. Nobody cuts your favorite chapter.

You have a product that probably would not otherwise exist, and it meets a specific need.

If the product sells, you sniffle all the way to the bank. I made 80% of the profits instead of 12-15% by going the self-pub route.

Your book never has to go out of print.

Isn’t there prejudice against those who self-publish? How can I overcome that?

Absolutely. But an excellent product that sells is all the vindication necessary. I like to think of indie book publishing as being a little like indie movie producing. People didn’t turn up their noses when Independent Artists released “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” They didn’t care who made it because it was so good.

What are the best method/companies/marketing tips/sales outlets?

www.lulu.com has excellent tutorials so you can understand the process, even if you don’t publish with them. I also like Smashwords.com for transferring copy to Kindle and other e-devices.

I paid a lot to have ISBN labels made the first time around. The second time I found a place online where I could make my own for free, once I had the number. We incorporated the bar code into the back cover design rather than adding stickers to each copy of the book.

One more thing: Even the best writer/editor/copy editor needs an editor. Do not skimp on this step.

Check out this NY Times Book Review piece about self-publishing that ran this week.