As we explained in our last post, there are three ways to have one’s book published: traditional, subsidy, and self-publishing. All have advantages and disadvantages, and the path one takes largely depends upon the reason(s) for wanting to see one’s book in print. Some authors simply want to see their work bound in a book format with the intention of sharing it with family and friends; some have a desire to share their story or communicate an idea, and some have commercial success in mind, even if as only a “side benefit” of reason number two.
We discussed the pros and cons of going route #1, the “traditional” path. This is when you submit your work to the large, well-recognized, old-school publishing companies, then “hope” they choose to even evaluate your work and then determine it is marketable. It is possible… just not likely.
So, maybe you should just do it yourself…
Path #2: Self Publishing
It is possible to self-publish your book. The main advantage to self-publishing is that you control 100% of the process. The main disadvantage is… you control 100% of the process!
You will earn the highest margin of profit this way, but that is because you will be doing all the work yourself. The steps involved are numerous, and if your plan is to produce a quality product (your book) that sells well and sells enough copies to be commercially successful, you need a very large tool-box of skill sets.
Self-publishing means that you will not only write your book, you’ll need to edit it, design and create the cover, design and format the interior pages, obtain the necessary ISBN and bar code, file your copyright, and obtain your Library of Congress Control Number. And then you’ll need to know where and how to have your book printed.
Then assuming you want to sell your book with a hope of making money, you’ll need to market it. And even though your profit per book can be higher by doing all the work yourself, you still need to sell a lot of books to make very much. To do that, you’ll need to know how to make your book available through large online resellers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and to thousands of ancillary online wholesalers and retailers.
Will you know how and where to make your book available to independent bookstores and libraries throughout the country and worldwide? Will you know how to re-format your book as an e-book and make it available that way in the marketplace, or if it even makes sense to do that? Will you be able to create your own website, promotional materials, and press releases? In short, do you already have the knowledge, technical and artistic skills, connections and resources to truly “publish” and market your book?
Self-publishing is an option if you’ve written a book; and then again, so is building your own car if you want to travel. But sometimes just being the driver—or author—is a more logical choice.
In our next post, we’ll explore Path #3: What you could call the “Publisher-Partner” path.
Stay tuned!
