Gone is the day of schlepping your manuscript to various publishers in the hopes of a writing deal. Self-publishing is here to stay! Now sit at your laptop and write little writers... what? It's not that easy? No, it's not, there are things all writers should consider. Having helped a number of writers in various stages of their work, it's important to know what to expect as you move forward with your self-publishing project.
Self-publishers have singular control over the whole process. Every decision is the author's, no publishing house to design the look and feel, manage marketing, set the pricing, deal with PR, create opportunities, etc. Your the king and queen of your world now--a self-published author will maintain all rights and has complete control over who uses the work and how.
Do you know your market, have you done market research, identified your colleagues. Some people who self-publish do so because they have a niche market they know well others do it because they want to explore the market. There is no right or wrong approach, but it's always good to do some pre-work and identify how you will want to market your book.
Hallelujah, self-publishing allows you to rid yourself of the inordinate amount of time you'll spend on manuscript rejection and allows you to get your book out much more quickly. A traditional publishing firm averages a year or more getting a book on the shelves. One of the advantages of self-publishing, is that this time is often reduced to weeks.
With traditional publishing the typical author averages approximately 10% of the revenues, whereas a self-published writer sets their price. The typical self-publisher can reap about 50% of the selling prices. But remember, you are now a business. Check out all of the requirements established within your state and federal government.
Self-Publishing takes self-management: realize it is a business, set and adhere to time lines, analyze the market, etc. Understand the applications, such as
CreateSpace and
Lulu, that allow for self-publishing. With electronic books sales exploding, this is an excellent market to explore. In a nutshell, develop a business plan for each book, you are the boss and the bank.
There are a number of ways to get a book into print, with self-publishing becoming one of the most advantages. Have you explored self-publishing, if so we'd like to hear from you We encourage self-publishing and love to give shout-outs to authors who share their experiences with us. Let us know about your self-publishing journey!
