Would you consider self-publishing?

I was chatting to a group of writer friends a few weeks ago and they were lamenting the fact that they couldn’t score a book deal.

Of the three, two had submitted works of fiction and one had submitted a work of non-fiction to a handful of publishers each. Between them, they had notched up seven rejection letters.

When I asked them what their next step in the process was, they all admitted they were about to give up the writing game and return to their day jobs.

The perception of self-publishing

None of them were considering self-publishing. When I asked why, they admitted to not knowing much about the process and feeling that it was not a ‘credible’ way to publish a book.

After all, 'it's a real honour when a traditional publishing house agrees to foot the bill to publish your book and market it under their badge', one of my friends pointed out.

With my friends' reservations on my mind, I began researching the self-publishing industry to find out a little more information.

Self-publishing success stories

The first thing I discovered is that if a traditional publishing house won’t back your book, it doesn’t necessarily mean the book isn’t good.

Take The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer, for example. She privately published it in the 1930s and within a year publisher Bobbs-Merrill picked it up. Now it ranks as one of America’s most published cookbooks, with more than 18 million copies sold worldwide.

A similar story is told about well-known children’s author Beatrix Potter. She published The Tale of Peter Rabbit privately at the turn of the last century after getting knock-back after knock-back from traditional publishers.

Yet this book is still in print today - more than 100 years on – and has the enviable reputation of being one of the world’s best-selling books of all time, having sold 40 million copies worldwide.

Understanding the self-publishing process

My interest piqued, I decided to contact Ryan Sheehan, from Yorkshire Publishing (which facilitates the process for self-publishers), and asked him to explain how modern-day self-publishing works.

How does self-publishing work? Does an author simply write a book and send it off to a group such as yours to have the desired number of copies printed and then returned, ready to sell?

Self-publishing, in its truest form involves the author coordinating all the individuals needed to create a book: editors, typesetters, cover designers, etc.

A company like Yorkshire Publishing acts as the liaison in coordinating the various professionals needed to self-publish... ghostwriters, writing coaches, editors, proofreaders, typesetters, illustrators, etc.

Unless an author is confident that they can sell, at minimum, 1000 copies of their book in the first year, we typically recommend the print on demand method.

Offset printing is very cost-effective for creating 1000+ copies, but the cost to create the order is not always within a new author’s budget.

The print on demand method allows a single copy to be printed when an order is received, and the cost to print is paid for at the time of purchase.

Do some self-publishers not worry about employing experts to help with their books?

I would always recommend that an author have a professional editor review their work.

No matter if you choose to have a publisher like Yorkshire coordinate that editing, or do so yourself, editing is number one on the list of items that need to be accomplished in order to create a professional-level book.

When the book is published, is it up to the author to market it and get it into bookstores or on e-book sellers’ lists? (If so, how do they go about doing this?)

Marketing a book - even a bestseller - involves the author to some degree.

The best way to market any book is to send review copies, and this is something that can be completed by the author or by a publisher.

How can self-publishers ensure quality control? For example, in traditional publishing, the book will go through structural edits and proofreads to ensure it is up to a high quality standard. This may not be the case with a self-published book.

No matter the amount of money you put into marketing, a poorly written book is not going to excel if the content is poor.

Editing should be the first item that an author considers. We recommend, at minimum, a copyedit prior to typesetting, and then a proofread prior to going to press.

The beauty of the self-publishing world is that it brings the control of a writer’s career into the hands of the writer themselves.

They can create a book, put it out into the market, and let the market determine if it is good or bad.

This way of letting the market, rather than an agent or submission editor, decide on the worthiness of the book is, in many ways, a direct result of the internet and social media.

In no other time has a single individual (had the potential to) reach so many people so affordably as is happening in today’s market.

By using social media and online retailers, a self-published book can succeed where, in the past, it was difficult - if not impossible - to do so.

What does it cost to self-publish a book?

An author could self-publish for free through someone like CreateSpace, but to properly edit and design a book, most authors should consider a budget of US$2000-3000.

This amount will typically cover a thorough copyedit, proofread, typeset, cover design and upload to a print on demand printer.

Ghost writing, substantive editing and writer coaching all add to the cost, but these are services a self-published author can consider.

With a marketing budget, the sky is the limit. The primary cost associated with marketing a book is the sending of review copies. To send a Review Copy, you are looking at the associated expenses of:

- Gathering a list of opinion makers and book reviewers that might find your book of interest (time and possibly money).
- Printing physical copies of the book.
- Packaging the book.
- Printing an introductory letter with contact information.
- Postage of the package.
- Follow-up to determine interest (time and possibly money).

What do you believe are the top reasons someone would self-publish instead of going to a traditional publishing house?

- A self-published author retains his or her intellectual property rights.
- A self-published author retains up to 100 percent of net revenue from book sales.
- A self-published author can always take their work and have a traditional publisher come along and invest in marketing and repackaging the material at a later date.
- Speed to market (important for material that is relevant to current events).
- Self-publishing is a great way to test your material and build your platform.

So, folks, that is the self-publishing process in a nutshell.

Now, I am keen to hear from anyone who has a self-publishing experience to share. Was it successful for you? How long did it take to recover your overheads - or are you still trying? Would you recommend it to others? Would you do it again, or return to the process of sending out query letters and manuscripts to traditional publishers?

For more information about Pamela Wilson or WriteSmart, log on to http://www.writesmart.com.au/