Self Publishing and the Nuclear Bomb

Welcome Micah!

Your book reminds me of Alas Babylon. I love that book.

I look forward to hearing about your journey. Good luck!

Welcome, and good luck with your book!

The only suggestion I have at this point is about the Createspace package you mentioned. Take a look at what it offers, and you'll probably find it cheaper to hire those services out, or learn to do them yourself.

Wormwood - I'd suggest that if you're aiming for a professional product, source the production element on your own. Don't use any "self publishing service" All you're going to get there are basic basic services from people who won't specialize in what you're putting out. There are better options. Don't be tempted by the convenience of it.

Good luck!

I don't recall any problems with CreateSpace books (although I bet there are some): but I have seen many books from the big vanity publishers, which have now transformed themselves into self publishing service providers.

If they are typical of the services they provide, stay away from their marketing services, their editing services, and their publishing packages. You can do much better working with individuals who have established good reputations for themselves. You'll get better work, and probably at a better price.

Two months is nothing in this business. If you feel like sounding out the larger publisher, do so. Can they give you more exposure and marketing than you can do on your own? Are their editing and formatting up to standards? In the end, the decision is yours.

I paused progress on a self-pub novella, after getting permission to re-submit a substantially reworked version to the professional genre magazine I'd originally intended it for. It might get rejected again. In that case, I'll go ahead with self-publishing. But if it gets accepted, I get a story in a career-building venue, and exposure that I could never buy.

One of the issues that arises often when authors self-publish is a feelng if urgency, as if you are losing sales by waiting to publish your title. It's a false illusion. The only time pressure is self-induced. A book is ready to be published when it is ready. That may mean more revisions than you anticipate, a longer time spent in cover design or beta readers coming back with questions, suggestions or plot holes. In the grand scheme of your writing career, two months is not a lot of time. I'd follow-up with the publisher.

You're in a "I wouldn't start from here" position, in that I waited for people I queried to reply or pass their no-reply deadline. Then I worked on other projects for a bit. But generally, don't rush. It's not just about whether you're going to wait for this publisher or not. Even if you decide you're not interested in them, you don't want to rush out a poorer product because you wanted to have it done now. Time gives some distance to consider how to make the project as strong as it can be and how to improve your pitch for the book.

profen4 said:

Wormwood - I'd suggest that if you're aiming for a professional product, source the production element on your own. Don't use any "self publishing service" All you're going to get there are basic basic services from people who won't specialize in what you're putting out. There are better options. Don't be tempted by the convenience of it.

Good luck!

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I agree. I used CS recently to publish my first book and I am happy about a lot of things but there is a few things I was not so impressed with: The price per book not changing if you order 1 or 1000 and also the quality of the books themselves. I ordered 50 books to get the in person sales rolling. When I got the box and went through the books 3 were poorly produced (uneven and the cropping was off). I had a list of people I gifted books to but all the same, I was a little offed by that aspect of it because that means approximately 6% of my customers are going to get books they might not be impressed with before they even open it.

Also, the quality of the paper and print was ok. My book is in color so it did matter and I am looking into alternatives. I really wanted to get the book out by the holidays and while some mention that self-publishers often feel a sense of urgency, I think mine was well warranted. I sold almost 50 in December as many people I knew bought them to gift to friends. So, there was also a purpose it served. When I publish a 2nd expanded edition, I am going to look into options and I think I can also boost sales enough where a publisher will see the value in the product / book I am creating.

Best of luck.

edit: you mention better options. is that for B/W printing or Color? I am hoping not to diverge too off topic by asking but I didn't have luck finding a printer that would do a small scale production run that would suit my book. For now I would be content to order 50-100 at a time although if I could drop the unit price down, I know a lot of book stores that want to carry it.

Micah, if I were in your shoes, I would try the trade publisher.

During the two months (more or less) that you wait, you can do research about the marketing aspect of self-pubbing, or get started on your next book, or whatever, but the point is it doesn't need to be "wasted time".

About your blog hype...I wouldn't mention this publisher until you know it is a sure thing. If it becomes so, then just explain the situation on your blog, and perhaps then you can "spin" it and talk about the benefits for being a hybrid author.

Best of luck!

I think I would feel it out too and see what they offer.

You can keep your social media momentum going with interesting content alone, even if it has nothing to do with Wormwood. The delay might even help grow your audience for an even bigger release if you do end up self publishing.

The added bonus might be eligibility for the HWA.

merrihiatt said:

One of the issues that arises often when authors self-publish is a feeling of urgency, as if you are losing sales by waiting to publish your title. It's a false illusion. The only time pressure is self-induced. A book is ready to be published when it is ready.

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This. Absolutely. Tthat's the quandary with self-publishing: being able to do it 100% on your terms. TOTAL control is not always a good thing...

Wormwood said:

Thank you all so much! It really gives me a lot to think about.

Just a quick question: I was reading over some of the information about self-publishing and something I noticed was that they will want a tax number if I did self-pub. Does that mean if I want to self-pub I have start an LLC or whatnot for the venture? I know you obviously have to pay taxes on whatever income you make, but does it have to be taxed as a separate business?

Thanks again for all the help and support.

~Micah

http://micahackerman.weebly.com

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You can run a business without incorporating yourself, many people do. You will receive a 1099-MISC form listing your royalties. You have to treat them as a source of income when you file your taxes.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend checking out the publisher in the Bewares and Backgroung Checks forum on AW. If you're lucky, there'll be authors there already signed with them and you'll get a sense of any potential issues or things you might want to know about before deciding to sign with them.

Literateparakeet said:

During the two months (more or less) that you wait, you can do research about the marketing aspect of self-pubbing, or get started on your next book, or whatever, but the point is it doesn't need to be "wasted time".

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I agree with this 100%. Two months ain't a long time.

Wormwood said:

Just a quick question: I was reading over some of the information about self-publishing and something I noticed was that they will want a tax number if I did self-pub. Does that mean if I want to self-pub I have start an LLC or whatnot for the venture? I know you obviously have to pay taxes on whatever income you make, but does it have to be taxed as a separate business?

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You use your SSN as your tax ID if you don't want to form a separate business. I already had a separate writing business set up (an LLC) so I folded my fiction writing into that.

Wormwood said:

I've now received a full request from a larger press in my genre that I respect very much. I was just going to hold off on publishing until I hear back ,but now they want a two month window.

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I would try to talk them down to one month, and then allow them the two months, if you have to.

Wormwood said:

So maybe some of the more experienced authors could answer this or at least point me in the right direction.

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I don't think there is a "right direction": there's only a right direction for you.

Congratulations, I wish you much success.