I will be very honest. On the surface, self-publishing your writing seems like the easiest and quickest way to get published. Taking this approach avoids having to navigate the traditional publishing route of finding an agent, finding the right publisher, query letters, submission packages and so forth. It also eliminates all of those rejection letters we all hate.
But, before you decide to jump into this, it is VERY important to consider a lot of variables.
This is something we discuss with my authors here at Greyhaus when they want to work in both self-publishing and traditional publishing.
First of all, how much do you know of the business? Self-publishing is just like opening up your own store or business. I often think of those people you see on Robert Irvine's RESTAURANT IMPOSSIBLE. You know the people! These are the failing restaurants when you find out that person running the business has never worked in the food industry. And they wonder why they are failing.
The same goes for those of you diving into self-publishing. You have to know everything from contacts, to ISBN numbers, to marketing, to distribution, copy editing, line editing, art design and so forth. This is a lot to know. If you are missing these skills, this might not be the direction to take.
Secondly, how much time do you have. Remember, self-publishing means you are now in charge of everything. Make sure you know where that time is going to come from! Again, this goes back to you knowing how to do all of this work. It will take a lot of time.
Next, this is going to cost money. Yes, you might be getting all of the profits of your book and not having to share those profits with the publishers or agents, but all of those things they provided as a part of your contract are now 100% on your shoulders now. You pay for the copy editors. You pay for the art work. You pay for distribution. You pay for marketing. Until you start making money, you will likely be working with a negative budget for a while.
Look, I know there are a lot of cases when self-publishing is the right direction for an author. But for those of you just looking for a quick path to publishing, PLEASE take the time to think though all of the variables before you make that leap.
Scott - lots of great information as always. I just wanted to say the old saying of...you can't put a quart of knowledge in a half pint brain is true when you are trying to learn the business. There is a lot to learn and for those of us that simply enjoy telling stories, the business side can be a nightmare. But good authors are a dime a dozen and the amount of talent, skills and experience to get to the level where you can write the best seller will take most of us a life time and never achieve it.
ReplyDeleteI wish there was a test out there so people would know when they were ready to try and get back on the horse and get an agent. Also, it is not a choice in my old magic 8 ball.
Love the videos and all your blogs. Thanks for taking the time to share with us struggling to learn the craft!