Self Publishing confusion

Mad1920 · Mar 8, 2012

Hello, just to introduce myself, I just finished writing my first book ever. Iam not at all someone who thrives on writing and writing is not my background. The idea for writing this book was because of my "story"...after hearing people who lived through my life with me for the past 5 years saying you really need to write a book because it is remarkable how you are still alive or not in a mental instution due to the things you went through that hit you back to back...is remarkable and then I turned things around and made myself a success story...it is amazing how I turned things around and the success I have achieved since. So I wrote the book and made it fictional, changed things, locations, etc drastically and hired an editor to fine tune everything. So the manuscript is completed, proofed and I have someone working on the cover of my book and I submited to the copy right office this week which they are telling me they are backed up to 6 months now. Here are the two things I am struggling with now.

1. I figured my first approach to publishing this book would be to self publish since this is my first time but I am having a hard time making a decision as to who to go with. I have peopel recommending authorhouse, pubit, createspace, kindle, smashwords but when I go to these websites, I am having trouble getting a listing of their packages to see what would be best for me.

Once I am able to get someone to contact me (any suggestions on how to do that) what are some questions and comparisons should I look for to see what is best for me based on the phase i am...i.e. I would like to have a live person walk me through the process that I can have access to if i need help and not just posting through the computer where there is room for errror, who is most user friendly, who will give me most exposure and what are the vehicles, i.e. amazon, barnes and nobles, do they offer e-books in the packages, do they format the manuscript to fit book, how is payment distribute, will they do the table of contents etc... what are the questions I need to ask?

2 The 2nd thing I am confused about is marketing and getting word out about my book when I self publish.I really need help with branding, social media, book reviews, book readings, speaking events, virtual book tours and really someone to help me come up with an interesting story angle to grab the attention of the media..getting me on radio shows, news, etc. But how do I go about this when self publishing?

I really want my book to touch a lot of people who went and are going through what I did so I want to target huge churches, colleges, etc....

Any suggestions of an agent that can help with this.. I thought the best thing would be to self publish and then start getting the buzz out there with these type of events/activites and then also simultaneously see if a traditional publisher would be willing to consider the book.

Is my thought process at least on the right track and any guidance you can give will be most appreciated.

Gordon · Mar 8, 2012

Even the best self publishing companies can only help you so much - to successfully sell your self-published book (and by successfully I mean both financially and in terms of reaching your intended audience) you need to be at least as adept at marketing your book and yourself as writing it in the first place. Most writers are not entrepeneurs, and most books - particularly fiction - are hard to sell without investment in both time and money on the part of you, the publisher. That's why most writers want/need a publishing house.

That said, I recommend you look at the book The Fine Print of Self-publishing, by Mark Levine. Gives you a real insight into what to expect, how much it may cost, and a list of reputable and not-so reputable self-publishing companies - things like retaining ownership of your own material, etc.

Kyla Laufreyson · Mar 8, 2012

I'd like to recommend reading through as many of the threads in this section of AW as you possibly can. Also check out JA Konrath's blog (I think he gets bit preachy in some posts, but there's a lot of good information there as well). This is something you're going to want to research as much as you can before you jump into anything, and there's a ton of information to be found here and other places.

eternalised · Mar 8, 2012

Amazon, PubIt, Smashwords, B&N, etc. don't offer "packages". You have to upload the books yourself - which is usually free - and make sure they're properly formatted. I'm sure you can find a lot of articles on this on Google.

Ideally, you want your books on ALL of these places. They're retailers. The more retailers you have access to, the better, because then ppl can buy your book from everywhere.

What you're also looking for, as you described in your post, is a book publicist. These are expensive, but they'll get your book on radio shows and TV shows. You can also do these promotions yourself. You can send out press kits to radio and TV stations and newspapers just as a publicist can. Keep in mind though that most shows aren't that keen on self-published authors.

The way I'm seeing it, you can go through self-publishing two ways. Either by spending a lot of money by having someone do everything for you, or trying to learn it all by yourself. Either way works, it just depends on how much time and effort you want to put in your book.

Agents, as you mentioned, are NOT publicists. Agents sell manuscripts to publishers. They do NOT send out press kits everywhere, get you in TV shows, etc.

You should really look up some articles on self-publishing. It's hard work, but it can be worth it in the end. It looks like you're really confused now though, and after reading a bit, you might figure out some things by yourself.

J. Tanner · Mar 8, 2012

Mad1920 said:
Once I am able to get someone to contact me (any suggestions on how to do that)

You generally will not be able to get someone to contact you. These services are typically set up to allow committed do-it-yourselfers to access the services very inexpensively--often free. With the amount of product in the system every day (hundreds, perhaps thousands of books) there's very limited access to hand's on assistance.

So you generally are required to do your own research into the service through reading everything they offer and ask others (like you are doing now) rather than getting direct, deep, support from someone at the service itself.

I'd also suggest you're perhaps skipping an important step as a first time author. You really should get some independent, objective feedback on the quality of the book. You haven't mentioned doing that, so I expect you haven't. Most books by first-time fiction authors need a lot of work. If you're going to self-publish it, you don't have access to a publisher to handle that important step.

JCGAuthor · Mar 8, 2012

I've embarked on the self-publishing journey as well, and if there is one thing I want to make clear to the poster, it's the rabbit hole effect of this pursuit.

I'm still gearing up for my first launch of three titles, simultaneously, and one thing I learned early on is how much I still have to learn.

Case in point: ignoring all the business-related steps, let's talk about that actual book itself.

Step away from just writing the dang thing and think about how much you still have to do. You need to find a copy editor. You're going to have to come up with cover art. You're going to have to format the book for the various sites you wish to sell it on. You'll need to come up with a legal disclaimer ("This work is a work of fiction. No resemblance to...). You'll most likely want an ISBN number for it. You'll want to list it in your press kit. You'll need a press kit. You'll need a sufficiently non-creepy author photo. And if you get any of these items wrong, or omit them, people might omit considering your book for purchase.

I say all this not to scare you, but just to make you very aware that -- if I might be trite -- this is a pursuit that is very much like an iceberg. What you think you see is only the very, very tip of what you'll actually end up doing.

Good luck either way.

FOTSGreg · Mar 8, 2012

Just as an aside, and to let people know just how "uninformed" and "unaware" som authors can be - a good friend of mine who was previously published in a couple anthologies put out by micro-presses recently informed me he'd placed several of his short stories up on Smashwords. I went and took a look, and immediately sent him an email regarding his covers.

As a short story writer he was completely unaware that even short stories published on Smashwords, Amazon, and PubIt! have got to have decent covers. It was a notion he had not even considered and he's about to have his third story published by a well-known and highly-respected SF magazine.

Mad1920, have you had your book read by a beta reader, someone who is not family or friends? Have you had it edited by someone who knows what they're doing, not just what you want? Do you have a professional or at least halfway decent looking cover? Do you have a day job? Do you have a plan for what you're going to do if you don't sell a half million copies of your book online in the first week? Do you have a plan for responding to negative reviews (hint: don't)? Do you have another book ready or are you working on another book? What are your plans for your future?

I want you to seriously think about each of these questions in turn. From your initial comments, it is quite clear to me that you are not ready to self-publish yet. You simply haven't done enough research. Note: I did not say your writing was not ready, I said you were not ready. This is not intended as disrespect. It's intended to help you avoid the many pitfalls out there and the many scams and schemes that are waiting to ambush your future.

Do your research. Do not be in such a rush. You have time. Things are still going to be there a year from now. Put together a business plan. Tell yourself where you want to be in 5 years. Map out the path to get there.

You'll thank yourself later.

Mad1920 · Mar 9, 2012

Thank you all for taking the time out to reply and provide valuable feedback. It is much appreicated!

saraflower · Mar 14, 2012

One thing that may ease a little bit of your stress, hopefully, is that Createspace provides you with a free ISBN for your ebooks and print books. So that step is covered.

I know it seems daunting before you know all the steps, but once you have a plan and you have your editor, formatter, cover designer, etc. it becomes fairly simple. Personally, self-publishing (My book was released three weeks ago) is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

As for marketing, book blog tours do wonders for boosting sales. And tweeting every so often helps spread the word if you have someone review your book, if you run a sale for your book, etc.

Kudos to you for considering it!

Do you have any other specific questions?

saraflower · Mar 14, 2012

Ooh one more thing. I recommend checking out David Gaughran's blog. He is a self-publishing expert and his posts are so helpful - he even posts his sales results, which are encouraging. Google him if you wish.

Sheryl Nantus · Mar 14, 2012

saraflower said:
Ooh one more thing. I recommend checking out David Gaughran's blog. He is a self-publishing expert and his posts are so helpful - he even posts his sales results, which are encouraging. Google him if you wish.

*falls off chair*

Yeah... no. Not so much.

You might want to do a search on this forum for Mr. Gaughran.

I wouldn't call him an "expert".

saraflower · Mar 14, 2012

The word I should have used is knowledgeable. Haha. Anyway, myself and fellow writer friends find him to be very helpful.

Deleted member 42 · Mar 14, 2012

saraflower said:
Ooh one more thing. I recommend checking out David Gaughran's blog. He is a self-publishing expert and his posts are so helpful - he even posts his sales results, which are encouraging. Google him if you wish.

He's a self-promotion expert, not a self-publishing expert.

Ken Umbach, ResearchGuy on AW is a better source.

http://www.umbachconsulting.com/pursuit.pdf

saraflower · Mar 16, 2012

Medievalist said:
He's a self-promotion expert, not a self-publishing expert.

Ken Umbach, ResearchGuy on AW is a better source.

http://www.umbachconsulting.com/pursuit.pdf

Thanks. Good to know!

FOTSGreg · Mar 16, 2012

Medievalist, thanks for that link.

Honestly, I'm hesitant to speak ill of the work of most other authors on AW (just don't ask me about certain more, ahem, "commercial" authors whose initials might be JKR or SM), Medievalist is correct IMO. I've downloaded and read some of David's stuff, frankly, it's not been very useful. What has been useful is listening to folks here on AW and the book "1001 Ways To Market Your Book" which is currently sitting on my bookshelves at home.

As always, skepticism is a survival instinct for writers.

BAY · Mar 16, 2012

Great site Medievalist, thanks.

bernster · Apr 1, 2012

I'm self-publishing my second book. I'm a total dweeb on the marketing end. The nuts and bolts of the technical side have consumed hours and hours of my time, as I do it all myself. I've spent hours proofreading my own material--just brushing up on comma usage is bad.

But here's my 2 cents:
-- pay somebody to do a cover design

-- for non-fiction, if you have a good, relevant photo or two, give it to your cover designer.

-- it's difficult to proofread your own material because you're too close to it. If you want to save money, and if you're good a grammar, etc., get a proofreading buddy.

-- if you don't know what to do about an interior design, use a popular book or two as a guideline.

-- different genres have different levels of difficulty in cover design, copy edit, proof reading, etc. Know the difficult areas of your genre. Non-fiction interiors are usually pretty difficult, just like books for children with illustrations, for example.

Self Publishing confusion

Mad1920

Gordon

Kyla Laufreyson

Oops

eternalised

practical experience, FTW

J. Tanner

JCGAuthor

Relentlessly Patient

FOTSGreg

Today is your last day.

Mad1920

saraflower

New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin

saraflower

New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin

Sheryl Nantus

Holding out for a Superhero...

saraflower

New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin

Deleted member 42

saraflower

New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin

FOTSGreg

Today is your last day.

BAY

bernster