After spending countless months, days, hours. . . seconds, writing a novel, the next most coveted step to take for an author, is to publish. They say writing a book is the hardest part - I beg to differ.
It’s a known fact that the publishing industry is changing. It’s not what it was twenty years ago, and will inevitably evolve in the years to come. It’s become easier for just about anyone to become an “author.” I’ve heard the argument that by making something so accessible, it lessons the value of what it means to be a “real author.” It lessons the value of “stories” and the dedication that traditional-published authors exhibit in the long process of becoming published.
While I was in college, studying creative writing, it was silently insinuated that to be “self-published” was not a coveted outcome. It didn’t count. It wasn’t real. And even beyond my institutionalized walls, it was very common to come across this opinion on “reviewing blogs” and other outlets, including other authors in the writing world.
The reality is that the market is changing. I can scroll through my facebook where I’ll find countless authors successfully selling their books - themselves. Some of them write a book nearly every month, and can live off of their sells almost as if it were a normal, run-of-the-mill job. (Which it is!)
It’s pretty universal that many writers dream to be published. Primarily, published by someone else, whether by a large publishing house or a smaller, independent press. . . but none the less, published.
With this fantasy, comes the benefit of fame, maybe a little fortune, and also the happiness in knowing that their written word could be spread to countless readers that they would not have been able to reach on their own. To be traditionally published today is hard. It’s hard to find an agent that will take on your project. You cannot reach out to big publishing houses like “Simon and Schuster” and “Random House” without one. Which often leaves the middle men - the “Indie Presses” to take on the majority of authors who can’t seem to reach that infinite “top.”
After being published once by an independent press, I began to wonder if it would be in my benefit to try to self-publish, and I find more and more authors leaning towards that way of thinking. There’s more control in a finished product, and there is 100% royalties gained. What’s there not to love? What others seem to fail to talk about is the journey of marketing a book, and marketing yourself as an author. This is where the benefit of having a good independent publishing group comes into play.
If you’ve done your research and have been accepted by a good publishing company, this becomes more of a co-working outcome. Marketing plans can be outlined, infographics and advertisements can be created by not only yourself, but anyone on their own design team. A cover can be professionally created, which more than likely will not come out of your pocket. For self-publishers, there are PAs and Graphic Designers who can help you, but require payment (because again, this is an industry!)
When I went into self-publishing, I didn’t have the right tools or the right connections to be ‘successful.’ And I think it’s really important to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. Often, once you’ve published your story (self, or not) - it’s very hard to have another company pick up the title without proof of either success or a presence in the writing/reading/social media community.
While I prefer to be published in the traditional sense, it is manageable and doable to self-publish and be successful.
My piece of advice is: Be sure to have a plan. Planning and self-marketing is key in every part of the ‘book-selling’ world.
