With the rise of e-publishing and print-on-demand, I see more and more articles about self-publishing pros and cons out there, starting with blatant advertising by self-published authors and vanity presses and ending with a horrified no-no from the publishing professionals.  I felt drowned in the information, and confused about the two camps out there, so I decided to research the subject and sort out what’s true and what’s false.  Below is my take on it, in a nutshell.

They say: You are always better off with a professional publisher.

Fact:  True.  Yes, there are some examples to the contrary out there, but these are almost invariably an exception.

They say:  Self-publishing a book means you will never be able to publish this book in a professional venue. 

Fact: True. If you decided for some reason that you want to publish a book on your own, it means this book will likely never be picked up by a professional publisher.  I know, the Internet is full of stories about people who broke through by self-publishing and selling thousands of copies – and yes, this might happen to your book too – but the chances of it are orders of magnitude smaller than your chances of finding a professional publisher.  So, if you are hoping for success with a particular title, you shouldn’t self-publish it (see below a list of reasons to self-publish).

They say:  Self-publishing kills your chances to publish other titles through professional venues.

Fact:  False.  Self-publishing does not affect your chances to place a new, unrelated work with a professional publisher (note the word “unrelated” here – which means, standalone work only, no sequels).  But it is important to remember that self-publishing does not give you credits either.  Don’t mention self-published work in your queries.  You may need to mention it at some point in the acceptance process, but it would count as neutral or mildly negative on your score board.

They say: Self-published books make more money for the author because of the higher profit margin and more control over the price.

Fact: True, if you are already famous.  Also true in terms of profit per book, assuming anyone would want to buy your self-published book.  In reality, the majority of self-published books sell in single and double digits and never make any money to speak of.  And, self-published books, done properly, cost more than you think (see below).  So, don’t let the talk of making money stir you into the digital labyrinths of self-publishing. 

In a nutshell, self-publishing would (a) lose you a project you could otherwise hope to sell to a traditional publisher, and (b) would be unlikely to have any effect on your writing career (except some raised eyebrows once your agent and publisher learn about it).

So, if self-publishing is unlikely to benefit you professionally, why do it at all?

An excellent question.  And one you should definitely clarify in your mind before diving into it.  Despite the discouraging facts, there are cases where self-publishing may be a good idea, if:

(1)   You are a published author with an established but small fan base and your book(s) have gone out of print.   In this case, it would be hard for you to sell these books (and their unpublished sequels) to a traditional publisher and you might as well go out on your own.  A bonus in this situation is if you own a copyedited manuscript for your out-of-print title.  Make sure you also own all the rights.  And, don’t expect huge profits.

(2)   You are an established author with book publishing experience, interested in starting a publishing business.  This scenario does not apply to most of us, and people like this are probably not going to read this blog, so I am skipping any details.

(3)   You have a non-commercial project to share with family and friends or with a small target audience you know.  Usually these include recipe book and photo albums (for family and friends), or documentaries and how-to books (for target audiences). 

(4)   You have decided to give up looking for publishers and you want to leave a legacy of your written work.  Alas, this is how most of aspiring writers feel from time to time.  But, unless you are really sure you are ready to give up utterly and completely – don’t do it.  Take a break.  Work on your next book.  Sign up a writing workshop, which could offer support and advice.  Things to remember here are: if your current novel is not good enough to be picked up by a traditional publisher, you will not be proud of it when you self-publish.  And, if you publish something you are not proud of, it will come back to haunt you if you ever become successful.

The best writing advice I got in my life is: NEVER GIVE UP.   

But if you do decide to self-publish, here are the things you really should do first:

(1)   Invest a major amount of time in editing your work.  Then, find a professional to copyedit it for a fee and possibly another professional to typeset it.  SFWA's Writers Beware has a great section on paid editors.

(2)   Invest into good cover art and design.  Make sure your book is professionally prepared, inside and outside. 

(3)   Find a good self-publishing company.  Many people recommend Lulu, which has honest upfront advertising.  If you are willing to invest more and have more control in return – try Lightning Source or an equivalent on line printing service.  Make sure you do your research before committing to anyone.

(4)   Launch a big marketing campaign.  Create a big web presence for yourself and your book, using all the great tools including blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  For good suggestions on how to market, check these great web sites:  ‘Pimp my novel’, author Cheryl Kaye Tardiff, and Nathan Bransford’s blog.
 

Finally, if you still have questions about self-publishing and/or you want to know what the professionals say on this subject, check out these great posts at ‘Pimp my novel’ and Nathan Bransford’s blog