I've been wondering how on earth you estimate the earning potential of a book, especially as a new author? You might sell 6 or 6,000.
Problems on the Edge of Self-Publication
- Thread starter xbriannova
- Start date
I've been wondering how on earth you estimate the earning potential of a book, especially as a new author? You might sell 6 or 6,000.
You don't, really. You kind of have to take the plunge and see how it goes. If you're walking the self-publishing route, it's crucial to keep expenses low for the first few releases.
This is one area where publishing houses have an edge. Easier access to numbers and they can employ people to do that sort of thing. Not that they're always accurate, but it's a better chance of being in the ballpark.
I think that's the point. If you don't know how many copies you'll sell, and therefore how much you'll earn from your investment, it's not an investment you're making. You're just spending money.
In other words, never spend money you can't afford to lose.
Oh yes, of course. Now I feel a bit dumb! This is something that I've been wondering when researching self publishing but I had been assuming I might never see that money again. But then I tend to work on the assumption that one should never invest money you can't afford to lose.
It's mostly a combination. The advantage to self-editing, I realised, is that I really know my way around the novel. So I've been proofreading, line-editing and developmentally editing. Any kind of editing you can think of, I've done. But it wasn't until recently that I had to cut out an entire chapter from the novel. Before, I was just snipping off a few words or sentences here and there, and making grammar corrections, or at the most, changing certain facts or events in the book to make the novel flow better, or the story/plot to be better.
Nah! E-Book first before anything, that's the plan. A physical release will be a separate thing altogether. Things work differently in Singapore, and I don't have the time, energy and resources to do both an Amazon launch and a Singaporean book launch.
Oh wow, thanks for the heads-up! Now that really complicates my plans.
Thankfully, I was aiming for 2 weeks before Halloween, so minimal adjustment is required. I'll just upload maybe a few days earlier than initially intended, so I'll still be early for the 31st. Even then, the cut-off point to make it for Halloween would be the 21st, or 20th to be on the safe side. Still need to do the marketing bit though
Which is why I decided to publish earlier than Halloween.
Last edited:
That closeness to the book, the fact that you "really know my way around the novel", is not a good thing. It's a huge disadvantage when editing. You'll see what you intended to write, not what you actually did; you'll assume that the plot works just as you intended it to, and you'll be blind to plot-holes and problems. This closeness is why you need outside editors. It's not an advantage.
Thankfully, I was aiming for 2 weeks before Halloween, so minimal adjustment is required. I'll just upload maybe a few days earlier than initially intended, so I'll still be early for the 31st. Even then, the cut-off point to make it for Halloween would be the 21st, or 20th to be on the safe side. Still need to do the marketing bit though
You don't have time to formulate an effective marketing plan, let alone implement one. For example, you've got no time to give to reviewers: they usually need a month or two to read and review a book; and that's after you've got your slot on their schedule. The better ones are booked months in advance.
If you want to do this properly you need to step back. Give yourself more time. Delay publication.
Which is why I've been sourcing for a proofreader. Unfortunately, my budget precludes the possibility of anything more. I've had my beta readers go through it though from last year to present, and some of the changes I made were due to their feedback.
I'm not sure if delaying publication will help. My marketing plan has already been formulated. It's a matter of implementing them when the time comes. I will admit that my inexperience has resulted in some inefficiencies though, but it will only mean some of my marketing plans will only fall in place post-Halloween. It's not so bad, I think. People would want to get scared all year round.
I can't afford to wait one year for the next Halloween. The date, 31st of October, is not entirely functional. It's symbolic, to me and the world. There's no rule stating that I must release a horror novel on Halloween day/week/month. For me, it just means that I should get things done and get the novel out instead of procrastinating and feeling sorry for myself. For the world, it's a festival of horror. Same as how we have a festival of love (Valentine's Day), but people aren't going to stop being horrified outside of the festival as much as people won't stop falling in love outside of Valentine's.
I know you mean well, but I'll be fine. From my posts, it may appear to you that I might be some runt who's going in with no preparations at all, but I've been building up to this for over a year, psyching myself for the day it'd finally be up. In this path of preparation, I've been accruing my own resources, band of supporters and key contributors, research and of course, skill in the craft of writing. I believe I've reached a point where the only way I can grow any further is by unleashing something, otherwise I'll just start to decay, ferment and die.
Hell, even if I'm making a mistake, it won't be the first and it won't be the last. I've already made one of the biggest mistake of my life this year, so if this turns out to be another, I'll live. We learn from mistakes, after all. I'll have another project ready for the next Halloween, and the next, and the next.
For what it's worth, you've convinced me (even more than before) that a delay wouldn't be a problem. That said, I won't be so upset over missing Halloween, but I'm gonna make an effort not to. Can't be a slouch now.
Again, thank you. I am proud to have spoken with one of the seniors of this forum.
Last edited: