Should You Self-Publish?
For many authors: “Should I self-publish?” is a question that has two answers. It’s either, “No one else wants me, so I have no
choice but to self-publish,” or it’s: “I would love to control when and how my
book gets published -- and to cut out a useless middleman. Why wouldn’t I
self-publish?”
There are plenty of pros-cons to publishing a
book in a variety of ways. Let’s explore:
Traditional Publisher (Big 5)
These big boys run the industry. It’ll take a
literary agent to pierce the gatekeepers. The process from query to book could
last 18-24 months. But they produce quality books, have strong distribution,
and can sell foreign and film rights to a book.
Medium-Sized Publisher
Same as Big 5, but not as huge. They are willing
to take a modest risk but they can’t afford huge advances.
Small Press
They make up for size with a passion to publish
books they believe in.
University Press
Smallish in size but they are good at marketing
their books. Offers a brand name publisher if prestige is important to
you.
Hybrid
It’s a form of self-publishing that can be more
expensive or less expensive than self-publishing, depending on what they will
do for you and how they split expenses and revenues.
Self-Publish
Avoid going with self-publishing companies. They
are merely going to publish through Amazon KDP. or Ingram Spark -- but charge
you high fees to do so. Then, they’ll try to talk you into costly editing,
cover design, or useless marketing programs. To publish on your own, use Amazon
KDP and their 90-day exclusivity window -- then add Ingrams Spark which provides
you with access to being carried by bookstores.
Self-publishing allows you to decide things
like: Title of the book, publishing format, book price, editing, cover design,
and all decisions about your content. It provides you with a chance to make
more money for each book sold vs. a low royalty rate from a book publisher. It
lacks prestige and you may feel the burden of being the author AND publisher
but you also have freedom, control, and the power to shape your destiny.
Self-publishing in 2022 was a big option. Out of
around 2.7 million new titles released last year, more than 80% were self-published.
The competition for book sales is fierce, but if you have a good book and do a
decent job at marketing, you have a chance to establish your brand and build
book sales.
If you self-publish, you will follow the
footsteps of some hugely successful authors whom at one point self-published
and went on to each sell a gazillion books. Whom do you think I’m talking
about? Try these names:
J.K Rowling of Harry Potter glory
EL James of 50 Shades of Gray stardom
Andy Wick of The Martian fame
Amanda Hocking of Watersong notoriety
James Redfield of The Celestine Prophecy success
You may also have heard of these self-published
authors:
Mark Twain
Margaret Atwood
Wayne Dyer
Stephen King
Robert Kiyosaki
Beatrix Potter
However you publish, keep writing, and push to
make your dreams come true!
FYI, samples of best-selling books rejected by
at least 20 book publishers:
Dubliners by James Joyce
M*A*S*H
by Richard Hooker
Heaven
Knows, Mr. Allison by Charles Shaw
Kon-Tiki
by Thor Heyerdahl
Jonathan
Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
The
Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
Lorna
Doone by Richard Doddridge Blackmore
Auntie
Mame by Patrick Dennis
The
Peter Principle by Laurence Peter
Dune by
Frank Herbert
Chicken Soup for the Soul by Mark Victor Hansen and
Jack Canfield
Need
Book Marketing Help?
Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning
blog, can be reached at [email protected] He is available to help authors promote their
story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of
experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him
be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
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About Brian Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter
@theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and
raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and
Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer
and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by
www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades,
including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book
publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with
many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with
best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen,
Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard,
Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C.
Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a
panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA,
Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction
Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland)
Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association.
His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal,
USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News
(Westchester) and The Washington Post . He has been featured in The
Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald . For more information, please consult:
www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum .
