The Truth About Self-Publishing

Publishing is a billion dollar industry with millions of titles being produced each year. In 2013, the United States alone published over 300,000 new titles and re-editions, while China saw close to 500,000. With all the tools now available for writers, getting ones work in the hands of readers has never been easier, right? WRONG! In order to give your book baby a fighting chance in a world where established authors have the first pick of readers, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about self-publishing.

The perks of self-publishing

Total creative control is one of the aspects of self-publishing that authors gravitate toward. Everything from the content within the pages to the packaging, self-publishing authors have full control over. They do not need to worry about a web of editors gradually muting their voice or artists designing horrid book covers (some brave authors are very vocal about their despair when seeing their book cover for the first time). A self-publishing author is able to guide their child through life from concept to publication. Another aspect of self-publishing that ALL DIY (do-it-yourself) authors do backflips over are their profits. Authors who self-publish see more profit than those who take the traditional route. Hell, authors who publish through Amazon see 70% of their sells. Too good to be true? You bet your sweet ass it is.

The hard truth about self-publishing

Based on a survey conducted by The Guardian, 1,007 self-published authors were asked their year earnings from book sells. The average book earnings a year was $10,000. When you think about it, if you were keep a full-time job, 10,000 extra dollars isn’t such a bad thing. However, half of those authors made…gasp…under $500 from their book sells…A YEAR! If you pay alimony or child support, don’t expect your yearly earning of $500 to keep anyone happy. It is said that the average sells for an eBook from a DIY author are 100 units. No, that’s not in the book’s first month on its own, that number is for its entire life. Literary agents don’t even want to hear about a self-published book unless it has sold over 20,000 copies.

One-Night Stan's by Greg Sisco

Like it or not, people judge books by their covers. A poorly designed book cover is viewed as a refection of its content. Even if you’re a master wordsmith, a crappy book cover generates crappy sells. Of course, this can be avoided by hiring someone to design a book cover for you. Greg Sisco, author of The Blood Brother Vampire Series and the dark comedic novel, One-Night Stan’s, was wise enough to hire designers to create covers that look as good as those from traditional publishing houses. And no, my opinion isn’t bias because I think he’s hot.

Self-publishing authors who refuse the assistance of a copy-editor, however, are bias; they are unable to see the flaws in their work. Even with a high-quality cover, self-publishing authors who self-edit are easy to spot, and their sells suffer from their refusal for help. Copy-editors play a huge role in perfecting a book. They earn a living annoying writers by pointing out the tiniest of flaws in their work. Self-publishing authors need to be taken seriously, more so than established authors, and each typo found in their pages takes away from the credibility they’re trying to gain. It would be wise to invest in a copy-editor. And despite what one may think, copy-editors do not stifle an author’s voice.

Self-publishing the right way

Can a self-publishing author achieve success without help? In my opinion, no. There are always expectations to any rule, but those expectations are wide and far in between. If you expect to become a household name by creating a crappy book cover, self-editing your manuscript and selling it through a free print-on-demand service, then you might as well reserve a spot in the unemployment line. That assumption, my dear reader, is the WRONG way to self-publish.

If I haven’t lost you yet, you’re probably yelling at your computer screen, demanding for me to tell you what’s the right way to go about self-publishing. Well, shut the hell up, and let me tell you.

Marketing is the key element for a self-published author to find success. Without word-of-mouth and discoverability, the most skillful writer’s career will diminish before it inhales its first breath. For a fee, print-on-demand services like iUniverse, Book Baby and Mill City Press will help their authors become visible in a cluttered industry. They work with the resources akin to a small or medium-sized publishing house. Press releases will be sent, websites will be made, social media presences will be felt, and even book trailers will be watched. If you choose to publish through a print-on-demand site like Amazon’s CreateSpace that doesn’t offer any marketing services, public relations sites like Smith Publicity exclusively work with authors wanting to market their books.

For $500 NetGalley is also an ideal resource for an author’s work to find the eyes of readers. NetGalley is designed for soon to be released books to generate reviews from newspapers, magazines and blogs. If a reviewer is interested in reviewing a book, a request will be sent to the author. When using this site, however, authors need to use their better judgment when allowing a reviewer to download the digital galley of their book. A few rotten apples who just want free books are among the honest reviewers.

You may have to spend a lot more money than thought, but don’t give up! Most authors who are looking into self-publishing do not have the financial means to invest thousands of dollars into bringing their manuscript to bookshelves. If you’re above turning tricks for extra cash, then crowd-funding is always an option. Backers on crowd-funding site like Publush and Kickstarter have donated thousands of dollars to authors whose projects they believed in. Projects on Kickstarter have 50% success rate.

Every writer’s dream is to have their book enjoyed by readers. Self-publishing IS an option to achieve that dream, but it’s not as easy as its said to be. It takes money and dedication. On one last note, keep this in mind: you could spend thousands of dollars on marketing, designers and editors, but no money in the world can buy talent.