Interesting read in WaPo about a new author who was given less than zero support from her publishing house when it came to marketing. So she did her own, and has sold over 300,000 copies. Huzzah! Yay for grassroots!
A couple of my friends have used print to order services like LuLu and done pretty good – mostly from ebook sales. The idea being, of course, that people are more willing to take a chance and a previously unknown author if they don’t have to pay tons of overhead or shipping just to read them.
Putting together, marketing and selling an ebook or a print on demand book can be tough, because you’re the only employee in the publishing house. You don’t have PR professionals at your disposal, there’s no agent to fall back on for advice – you’re totally on your own.
Peter Bowerman wrote The Well Fed Writer and marketed it on his own. He made a fortune. I have a copy, and if you aren’t hoping for failure, you should too.
That said, he also has a book called The Well-Fed Self-Publisher which chronicles how he made a living selling The Well Fed Writer. He offers a free report to whet your appetite, if self-publishing is something you’ve been considering.
I bought The Well Fed Self Publisher in ebook format. Again, for the same reason I mentioned above – no extra costs, just the book. Yes it takes a while to get used to reading on the computer, but it’s worth it for the money you save, trust me.
Anyway, check out The Well-Fed Self-Publisher . If you’ve been thinking about it, stop putting it off and DO SOMETHING about it!!
Many new authors also don’t realize that a lot of mainstream publishers will not take on unknowns unless they have a literary agent. I was speaking to one newbie about the possibility of self-publishing; he wasn’t interested. He had found an agent willing to submit his work to publishers and was happy he wouldn’t have to market his book — he wanted someone else to look after that. I had enough self-control not to laugh, but I did inform him that he would still have to market his own book if he wanted success.
And Lulu — I was looking into them. Perhaps for ebooks and/or small quantities of print books they’re okay. I used the book cost calculator on their site: there is no discount on the per book cost no matter how many copies you want printed. That tells me they offer only digital printing (photocopies — not done with ink). Offset printing (ink) is too expensive for small runs (setup charges are huge), but if you think you have a bestseller and plan to print several thousand copies, it would reduce the per book cost (a lot of money to put out all at once, though).
Now to ebooks — I am a HUGE believer in them. Yes, it took me a while, too, to get used to reading on the computer (I’m stubbornly resistant to change). I finally had to give in and stop purchasing printed books mainly because I’m running out of space. We moved last year to a smaller house, and I must have had at least 20 boxes of books!
Anyway, I finally gave in and now buy only ebooks. Some ebooks I “borrow” from the library (though their selection is not yet what it could be). I would love an ebook reader (hint to husband), but they’re too expensive. I’m currently reading Surrender: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom by Bruce Bawer — borrowed the hardcover from the library. I’ll definitely be purchasing this one — in ebook format.
I’m very interested in Bowerman’s books — thanks for the tip.
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I commend you on your success! I really mean that but I think people who are new to publishing must realize that self-publishing depends on what you are writing. I doubt that most people today could sell 300,000 copies of a self-published novel opposed to nonfiction. There is a big difference. The point about self-publishing (even though I don’t recommend it), is that if you write nonfiction or self-help or a niche book, you might be able to succeed and sell. But if you are writing fiction, then the book rarely sells even 100 copies. It’s luck if it sells 50 to people other than the author’s family and friends. So, authors who push self-publishing to others need to make it clear that not every book will do well with this process. I’m afraid some aspiring writers and newbies will see this, get stars in their eyes and think they can do it too. The reality is that they have more of a chance getting an agent and getting a big pub than self-publishing and selling 300,000 copies of anything.
If someone expects to be a novelist with a career and longevity, then they need to get an agent and publish traditionally. This could mean by a big house, middle or even small. But it doesn’t pay to have a novelist self-publish and experts of self-publishing should make sure to point out the difference. I’ve seen far too many novelists left in debt, homeless and bankrupt because they read about someone’s success story in self-publishing and thought it would be easy. Bottom line is that it’s never easy to follow your dreams. Novelists should do research and put in the work instead of self-publishing. It’s best to get paid than to have to pay to be in print when you write novels.
Also, success for self-published authors are very rare but virtually impossible for a novelist. Not many people want to read a self-published novel. Good luck to you!
Thank You…
A traditional published novelist with a big house and agent.
self-publishing is always good but it may require some initial capital and labor to run it.-~~