It's the aim of most writers to have a book or two out there. To breathe in deep and let readers read their words. And there are many different routes to achieve it. My first foray into self-publishing came about after I had already had two books published by different publishers - so far in my career I've been published by three publishers, but I must say that my favorite way to go is to self-publish.
I know a lot of authors who are traditionally published, and may be thinking that self-publishing isn't for them, but if you have a manuscript ready to go, I think everyone should consider it. Publishing both traditionally and self-published (becoming a hybrid author) is a good way to go.
Here are some things you need:
1. A completed, polished manuscript. This needs to be your very best work.
2. A good editor. My advice in finding the perfect editor for your work is to consider firstly whether your audience is US or UK based, and if you are going to write in UK or US English. If you are traditionally published, and love your editor, first find out if your editor also freelances - might she take on private clients? If not, can she/he recommend someone to you? Finding an editor who 'gets you' and that you can work well with is key.
3. A cover designer. I have used four different cover designers and have also designed covers myself. There are a great variety of cover designers out there, at all price ranges. You can have a cover specifically designed, or buy a 'premade' cover where the designer alters the name and title to fit. Most premade designers remove the cover from sale once it has been sold.A great premade cover site is Go On Write which is updated very regularly and has some great covers at very attractive prices.
Questions and thoughts:
"I don't want to have to do publicity, I have no idea where to start with that. If I'm traditionally published, then my publisher will do that for me."
The above is a bit of a misconception. All authors need to promote their own work, and end up doing so, both trad or indie, so this isn't an issue.
"Self-published is not as good quality as traditionally published."
I strongly disagree. If you write a good book, employ a professional editor, and a good designer it can be impossible for the reader to know if your book has been produced by a publisher or has been self published.
"But I don't know anything about self-publishing."
If self-publishing is a mystery to you, then the answer is to become informed. Start by reading Catherine Ryan Howard's blog, JA Konrath's blog, and see how you get on. There's a wealth of information out there, and you owe it to yourself to investigate.
Benefits:
1. Royalty rates - 70% of cover if you price your book at 2.99-9.99.
2. Payment - There is a 60 day lead time on Amazon payments, but they pay monthly.
3. Scheduling releases - instead of waiting for a slot for a book to be released by a publisher, you can release when a book is ready. This can be a huge advantage for writers who write fast and have manuscripts backing up in a publishers' system.
4. Control. You choose the cover, release date, price, promo etc. You can experiment with all of these, and if something isn't working - fix it.
So if you are a writer who has been thinking about self-publishing, I strongly encourage you to make 2014 the year that you investigate it in more detail, learn all you can about it, and dive in!
Showing posts with label self-publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-publishing. Show all posts
Monday, January 20, 2014
Friday, August 10, 2012
Tweaking Dreams
The publishing world is constantly changing, and it is important, I think, for every writer to constantly re-evaluate their options. The urge to write, and to be published for many of us is the culmination of a long held dream, and as such an emotional one. But when it comes down to publishing today, there are more options available than ever before - so we must examine our dreams, and if necessary, tweak them!
When I was starting out, my dream publisher was any publisher that would say yes to publishing my book. I had my sights set on the Big 6, because that was where every writer wanted to be published back then.
Unfortunately, the Big 6 didn't feel the same, they weren't clamouring for my first book, or even my second. But smaller publishers were interested, and I signed up. The dynamic was one of an eager writer, excited and delighted that a publisher wanted to sign my books up. I was looking for approval, wanting validation that my writing was good enough. The publishers chose me! This approach couldn't be more different from my approach today.
Currently, I have six novels and one book of short stories available on Amazon. Two are with a small publisher, two are backlist titles, previously published and now self-published, and two I chose to self-publish. All the novels have been professionally edited, with good looking covers, created by a professional cover artist.
My self published book, The Morning After, is my biggest seller, and has the most amounts of reviews, the majority of them good ones. I love this book, and loved writing it. And instead of looking for approval from the publishing industry, I took it straight to my editor for her feedback. She loved it too, and our feeling about the book have been reflected by the most important people in the whole process, the readers.
My backlist titles have done way better sales wise since I self-published them. I'm in KDP Select, and have found that this avenue has revitalised them in a way I never could have dreamed.
So today, I urge every writer looking to sell their book, to re-evaluate their options. Instead of thinking "will a publisher like it?" think, "which publisher gives me something extra, something I can't achieve on my own, by self-publishing?" This could be whatever you need it to be: global reach, popularity, validation, money, publicity.
If I were choosing a publisher, I'd be looking for a transparent, fair cut of the royalties tied to a good, strong publicity machine, that will help discoverability. I would also be interested if the publisher could offer me a presence on shelves in bookshops, and a marketing plan that utilised the power of the internet to significantly build my presence in secondary ebook markets.
I don't need the validation of the Big 6 anymore. Self publishing has given me feedback from my readers, which is much more important. I may self publish all my books from here on in, or work with a publisher on certain projects. I write because I want to. Because I need to. But once a book is finished, I want to share it with readers. And if I don't choose carefully, readers may never find it, amongst the sea of books out there. This has been a long post, I could have said it all in one line:
You are the writer. You choose.
When I was starting out, my dream publisher was any publisher that would say yes to publishing my book. I had my sights set on the Big 6, because that was where every writer wanted to be published back then.
Unfortunately, the Big 6 didn't feel the same, they weren't clamouring for my first book, or even my second. But smaller publishers were interested, and I signed up. The dynamic was one of an eager writer, excited and delighted that a publisher wanted to sign my books up. I was looking for approval, wanting validation that my writing was good enough. The publishers chose me! This approach couldn't be more different from my approach today.
Currently, I have six novels and one book of short stories available on Amazon. Two are with a small publisher, two are backlist titles, previously published and now self-published, and two I chose to self-publish. All the novels have been professionally edited, with good looking covers, created by a professional cover artist.
My self published book, The Morning After, is my biggest seller, and has the most amounts of reviews, the majority of them good ones. I love this book, and loved writing it. And instead of looking for approval from the publishing industry, I took it straight to my editor for her feedback. She loved it too, and our feeling about the book have been reflected by the most important people in the whole process, the readers.
My backlist titles have done way better sales wise since I self-published them. I'm in KDP Select, and have found that this avenue has revitalised them in a way I never could have dreamed.
So today, I urge every writer looking to sell their book, to re-evaluate their options. Instead of thinking "will a publisher like it?" think, "which publisher gives me something extra, something I can't achieve on my own, by self-publishing?" This could be whatever you need it to be: global reach, popularity, validation, money, publicity.
If I were choosing a publisher, I'd be looking for a transparent, fair cut of the royalties tied to a good, strong publicity machine, that will help discoverability. I would also be interested if the publisher could offer me a presence on shelves in bookshops, and a marketing plan that utilised the power of the internet to significantly build my presence in secondary ebook markets.
I don't need the validation of the Big 6 anymore. Self publishing has given me feedback from my readers, which is much more important. I may self publish all my books from here on in, or work with a publisher on certain projects. I write because I want to. Because I need to. But once a book is finished, I want to share it with readers. And if I don't choose carefully, readers may never find it, amongst the sea of books out there. This has been a long post, I could have said it all in one line:
You are the writer. You choose.
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