Manic Monday: 3 Truths About Self-Publishing

Last week, I saw a blog post titled: "How I got a big advance from a big publisher and self-published anyway," by Penelope Trunk. Intriguing title. I took the bait and clicked through to read the post.

Essentially Ms. Trunk wrote a non-fiction book about how to achieve happiness. She sold the book to a large publisher, got a "lot of money" for an advance (paid in full). According to her blog post, things began to go sour about three months before publication when she was contacted by the marketing department. 

She was, apparently, unimpressed with the first call. "Their call was just about giving me a list of what I was going to do to publicize the book." 

Hold it right there. Was she surprised by this? This didn't fit with her expectation?

When I went to my first writer's conference in 2009, I distinctly recall hearing from panels - and in individual conversations with authors - that the publishing house expects that the author will do the majority of marketing of their book. If you hang out with writers on Twitter, or anywhere else where writer-folk gather, you will hear a constant chorus of how publishing houses do NOT put significant money or time into marketing the books of first-time authors. Everyone knows (or should know) that your book won't get a significant (or any) marketing budget unless you've previously had a best-seller.

In fact, even as far back as 2009 at that writer's conference, I began wondering why writers needed publishing houses. I mean, they aren't going to market my book. They're not likely to do much editing of my book (I've been advised repeatedly to hire a freelance editor before I even query).

If they don't edit and they don't market, it really begs the question: What do they do? And why give up 90-96% of the royalties?

When I was finished my first book, I had a choice to make. Self-publish or begin the query process. Knowing that it would like to take 3-5 years to see my book in print if I went the traditional publishing route (IF I ever saw it in print), I decided to self-publish.

I don't regret that decision and I'm quite pleased with the success of my first book, Emily's House. But Ms. Trunk's blog post got me to thinking about some truths about self-publishing and how she may have discounted the advantages to having a big publisher on board. Which begets another question: Are there still advantages to being traditionally published?

Some thoughts. First, BIG PUBLISHER STILL SELL THE VAST, VAST, VAST, VAST MAJORITY OF ALL BOOKS SOLD. PERIOD.

Indie and self-published books still make up a tiny fraction of overall sales.

Amanda Hocking, Uber Self-Publisher

J.A. Konrath

If you have been lulled into thinking that you, an army of one, without a publishing house behind you, are going to shoot up the bestseller list, you are more than likely going to be sorely disappointed. Last year we watched Amanda Hocking sell over a million copies of her self-published books. J.A. Konrath talked about making $60,000 per month on his self-published books (but also cautioned writers to focus on writing more books rather than just jumping onto the self-publishing bandwagon). Writers worldwide collectively said "hell yeah" and stopped querying and started publishing on their own.

I'm on of them. And I'm glad I did and I'll continue to self-publish.

But come on, lets have a reality check. My opinion (feel free to differ in the comments if you have experienced otherwise): if you have never been published by a publishing house, you should continue to try to get a contract.

Why?

Here are some truths:

1. Selling books is about discoverability. So long as there are brick and mortar stores, if you're books aren't in them, you are losing a facet of discoverability.  When you walk into your local Barnes & Noble, a publishers PAID to have their books on the table or end-caps. If you are a self-published author, your book isn't even in the local Barnes & Noble. It certainly is NOT on an end-cap or table. Having your book in the bookstore is not just about vanity. Books on shelves and book-signings in stores are about sales. If you're self-pubbed, you won't have either of these things.

Tables full of books at a Barnes & Noble

2. Reviews sell books. Lots of reviews from influential people sell a lot of books. If you are self-published, it is unlikely that popular reviewers with lots of influence will even look at your book. That's a fact. You may get lovely reviews from lesser known reviewers who are still willing to read self-pubbed books. But most popular reviewers long ago gave up on self-pubbed. Why? Because for every gem, they had to wade through nine clunkers. That's a fact. Traditionally published books will be more likely to get reviewed by influential reviewers and bloggers. It will not be turned away by reviewers simply because of who published it.

3. Traditionally published books SELL BETTER. In the top 100 on Amazon, any day, any time, there may be two - perhaps even five - self-published books that have made it into the top 100 (my review of the list this morning showed no self-pubbed books in the top 60). THAT STILL MEANS THAT 95-98 percent of the top 100 are traditionally published. You will get an occasional Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy, or The Mill River Recluse, or Switched (Trylle Trilogy) (originally self-pubbed, but now published by St. Martin's Griffin). But the vast majority of books making it onto the bestseller list are from large publishers.

Why is that so? I believe there are two reasons.

First, see numbers one & two above. Large publishers have the distribution channels to get books on every shelf, everywhere. Virtual and real. When it comes to discoverability and availability, traditional publishers still have self-pubbers beat.

Second, and this may ruffle feathers, but traditionally published books are (generally) better reads. I'm sorry, but this is true. I download and read about ten book samples a week. I only download samples of books that a friend has recommended, or that I've read the cover blurb, and/or seen reviews, and/or buzz, and I think it's a book up my alley.

For traditionally published books, I'll buy about 50-60% of the time. This means that from the sample I read, I'm hooked enough on the premise and feel the writing is strong enough that I'm willing to pay the (usually) $6-$10 to buy the book.

For self-published titles, I hit the buy button less than 5% of the time. Most of the time, I'm sucked in by the premise and think it sounds like a great story. But my choice not to buy is generally because the writing fell short, either in the first pages or by the end of the sample. And usually, these books are priced at 99 cents to $2.99. I won't even download a whole book that's free if I can't get through the sample.

Now there are exceptions - self-pubbed or small press books that are as good - or better - than traditionally published books (like Keir, by Pippa Jay, one of my recent favorites which I'll review here on my blog soon). But the truth is, you have to wade through a lot of not-so-hot books to get to those gems.

Look, I self-published my first book, Emily's House (The Akasha Chronicles), and I'll self-publish the rest of that trilogy and perhaps other books. I've been quite happy with the results of my first publishing adventure, and I believe that a self-published author can achieve fabulous sales.

But I think that it is grossly inaccurate to assume, with an unchecked ego, that a self-pubber can do better without a big publisher. Folks like J.A. Konrath and Barry Eisler both had traditionally published books in their back-list before embarking on their self-publishing journey. They already had a fan base, folks ready to purchase their books, regardless of the publisher.

Let's face it, whether we have one of the Big 6 backing us up, or we're on our own, the writer is going to do the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing the book. But when your book bears the publishing house imprimatur, the author has marketing avenues that aren't even open to self-published writers.

That is why I'll seek a publishing contract for my next series of books while continuing to self-publish. It is my belief, (I could be wrong), that working both avenues will produce better results than going down only one road.

What do you think? Am I full of bull? Do you think self-publishing is the way to go and screw traditional publishing? Or do you think self-publishing is for amateurs and only traditionally published authors can be considered pros? What are your thoughts on the publishing houses?

Is Self-Publishing a Collaborative Process?

I spend some time each day reading blog posts by writers and others in the publishing industry.  One blog I enjoy quite a lot is by Nathan Bransford.  Many of his blog posts, at least since I've been following him, are a compare/contrast between self-publishing and traditional publishing.  Because Nathan's first book recently came out, published by a legacy publishing house, his choice was to engage the traditional publishing industry rather than self-publish.

In a recent post, Nathan said:  "Personally, I like the collaborative element of traditional publishing."  He was commenting on the fact that he enjoyed working with his editor and the illustrator and enjoyed the collaborative effort of bringing his book to fruition.

This statement seems to presuppose that a self-published book is not a collaboration.  Self-publishing IS a collaboration with all the same folks you'd work with if you had a contract with a publishing house.

I'm getting my first book ready for self-publication this fall and it is quite a project!  I feel like I'm the General Contractor for my book and I have to hire all the sub-contractors I'm going to work with on my project.  I recently went through the process of choosing an editor who is busy at work on the first professional edit.

I already hired an artist to create cover art (I chose Claudia at PhatPuppy Art).  The process of creating a cover was definitely a collaborative process - back and forth with Claudia as I worked to express my ideas and she worked to translate it into art.

After the editing process is complete, I'll need to hire someone to do the interior book design and e-book formatting.  Again there will be a back and forth between me and the designer about how the interior should look.  What fonts will we use?  Will there be flourishes?  How will we separate chapters?  Where will the page number go?  I've never published a book before, so while I have ideas about what I like and how I'd like the book to feel, I will rely on the professional who has done this many times to guide me and help me create the polished book that I want.

I'll also need to hire a cover designer.   This person will take my cover art and create a front cover, spine and back cover.

In all, I will likely work with three to five different people in the publication of this one book.  It is indeed a collaboration and I agree with Nathan that - so far anyway! - it is a very satisfying process.  But unlike with traditional publishing, I get to choose the people I collaborate with.  I'm steering the project.  My ability to choose is one of the largest differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing.

Having said all this, I am aware that some writers who choose to self-publish do not hire designers and artists and others to help them create a professional-looking final product.  I think that this is changing and will continue to change as self-publishing becomes more common and as there will be more competition amongst self-published books.

What are your thoughts?  Do you self-publish?  What is the process like for you?  Are your books published by a  publishing house?  What is that experience like for you?

Nathan Bransford's middle grade novel, Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow is now available.

Social Networking: Powerful New Procrastination Drug of Choice for the Writer

The new conventional wisdom for the writer:  Social Networking is a Must.
You have to "build a platform."  Create the audience for your work.  If you're an unknown writer, you must tweet and Facebook and blog and link in.
In the past, my procrastination drug of choice:  Gaming *head dips in shame*.  It started innocently enough.  I had to check out Pirates Online before I let my kid play it.  But like so many things, a little was good, a lot was better.  My child quickly lost interest.  Me?  I played until my wrists hurt from clicking the mouse; played until my character was maxed out.  Then the power of the drug had worn off.  I needed something harder.
World of Warcraft ("WOW") was just what I needed.  Characters could go to level 85 (not the wimpy 50 of Pirates Online).  There were whole continents to explore, powers to learn, weapons to earn.  Ahh, that's the stuff.  Gaming heaven.
My family tried to reach me but I said "just one more battle."  Once in a dungeon I may not surface for over an hour.  My refrain was "it boosts my creativity" and it "helps me relax."
What I was really doing was procrastinating.  The longer I played, the longer I avoided looking at the dreaded white screen.  When playing, I didn't have to think about how I was going to get my characters of the precarious situations I'd put them in or worry about plot problems.  When gaming, I was on auto-pilot, closing out the world around me.  
But I was also silencing the world within.
With the help of my husband (my ever-present external wise man and knower of all that is Nat before Nat knows it) I realized that gaming didn't "relax" me.  If anything, it made me more tense.
And there was no enhancement of my own creativity.  Gaming impedes my creativity.  When you game, you enter a world someone else created.  It can be fun, but if you spend too long there, you're just closing off your own creative powers.
The pact was made within - no more gaming.  And it helped when I got my new MacBook because I just didn't load the games.  Out of sight, out of mind.
And creativity thrived.  Writing happened.  White screens were filled with words.  Not always great, wonderful, beautiful strings of words, but words.  I was writing again and living the life of a writer.  Every day, writing happened.  That's what being a writer is all about.
And then . . . Social Networking happened.
It is necessary.  Whether your book is acquired by a legacy publisher or you self-publish, you must self-promote and these days, to self-promote you must be engaged in the online conversation.  No question.
And it is valuable.  You learn a lot from the conversation.  
But oh, the seduction it holds for the OCD-type.  Tweeting, blogging, Facebooking, checking, reading, following threads, re-Tweeting.  Round and round it goes.  Loops and follow-backs and some Goodreads thrown in for fun.
You look up at the clock and it's noon and you haven't written a word on that novel or short story or poem.  After lunch you open the document and look at the empty white screen before you.  You look down and you've got 7800 words. That's the same number you had last week!  Where did the time go?
Hey, procrastination on the Social Network, now that would make a good blog post. . .