An "Indie" Publishing Glossary

Last year when I first embarked on this indie journey, I was green as could be. I joined groups and heard all these terms and places bantered about, but I had NO clue what any of it meant.


I thought I'd do a bit of a "indie cheat sheet" today to give you a leg up if you ever want to stick your toe into the fast growing indie-publishing sector!

Although, as in all things publishing -- keep in mind that everything is constantly changing and morphing. This list could very well be out-of-date and obsolete in a year or two! But for now, I hope it's helpful!

Indie Author - What IS an indie anyway? It is short for independently published author, basically. It means an author who is their own publisher. They may outsource bits of the process (such as cover design, formatting, editing) but they are the publisher who handles the whole process.

Self-pub Author - Indie authors used to go by this term as well, but most are distinguishing themselves as Indie authors rather than self-pubbed. MOST (not all) people who say they self publish now mean that they went to a publishing company and hired them (and paid a tidy sum) to publish their books. For that fee, the publisher usually handles the cover, sometimes the editing, and coordinates getting the book into the various markets (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc) as well as prints the book. Some authors still use "self pub" and "indie pub" synonymously, though, so it can get confusing!

Hybrid Author - ME! This is what I am -- or aim to be anyway. This is an author who indie (or self) publishes, but also is or intends to publish in the traditional publishing world as well. 

KDP - Kindle Digital Publishing - Amazon's ebook publishing arm. What many indie-published authors use to list their books for sale on Amazon.

KDP Select - NOT to be confused with the above. Select is a extra service you can elect when you publish with KDP. It lists your book in the Kindle Unlimited program, which is to books what Netflix is to movies/shows. The BIG caveot is -- to enroll in KDP select, you must not have your book for sale anywhere besides Amazon, and you must commit to being in the program for 90 days. There are a ton of pluses and minuses to be discussed about the program, but that's for another blog post!

Smashwords - Similar to KDP, but it is a site that will publish your ebook to multiple venues such as Barnes and Noble, ibooks, etc.

D2D or Draft 2 Digital - Smashwords competitor

Nook Press - Barnes and Noble ebook publishing arm similar to KDP

Kobo - ebook/epub site that sells most in nonUS areas, especially Canada and I believe Europe.

POD - Print On Demand - a book printing publisher who prints book as they are ordered instead of large batches. (costs more per book but saves on warehousing/inventory concerns)

Createspace - Amazon's company you can utilize to print/sell paperbacks - a POD printer

Lightning Source - Ingram's POD printer (Createspace's competitor basically)

ENT - Ereader News Today - a fairly economical site (~$30-$50) to advertise your on-sale ebooks that (currently) seems to get fairly decent results.

BookBub - A fairly EXPENSIVE site to advertise your on-sale ebooks that (currently) gets very GOOD results -- but the price is very high ($300-$500+) and it's hard to get excepted. (EDIT: The $300-$500 was an approximate and NOT exact. Some genres are as little as $55 to list a free book -- but most genres are much higher. Christian fiction starts at $210 for a free listing)

Permafree - Listing your book for free on a long-term basis. Not as easy as it sounds! (Amazon doesn't allow you to list for free long-term, but they DO price match, so you basically have to list for free everywhere else and hound Amazon -- and get your friends to hound them -- to price match.) Authors use freebies to gain new readers to help sell their rest of their books. Lots of mixed opinions on this method.


This is by NO means an all inclusive list, but I thought it would be a good start!

Any other "terms" you've heard that you aren't exactly sure what they mean? Or any indie/hybrid questions I can answer? I don't know it all -- but I'm publishing my third indie book NEXT WEEK so I feel like I'm finally starting to get a hang of this publishing thing!

That said -- look for A (kinda) Country Christmas next week on Amazon, ebook or paperback! OR get it now in the Christmas collection, Love's Gift. (Had to add the plug!!)

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, A Side of Faith and A Side of Hope. She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

5 GREAT reasons to self-publish (plus... my own!)

We've already gone over a few not-so-brilliant reasons to choose self-publishing (not in and of themselves, anyway.)

So I thought I'd give some GREAT reasons to self-publish.

1.) FUN! This is quite a bit different than the "Just because..." reason on the not-so-brilliant reason. Maybe you just love to write, but publishing? Eh, that'd be cool, but really isn't a huge-huge goal of yours. Just icing on the cake. And it'd be fun to see your book on Amazon. You can epub a book pretty cheap these days. If the process sounds fun to you, you aren't in it for ( and don't really want) to make much of any money, just want to cross it off your bucket list, then ya know? More power to you! Don't stress, just have fun and enjoy it.

2.) FAMILY! Have a great memoir that you want your kids and grand kids to have to remember your legacy? Self-publishing is a GREAT option. Sure, you could print off that word document, but having it book bound and available to family and friends is pretty cool. EVERYONE has a story, and self-publishing is a great way to share it with the ones you love.

3.) FINANCIALLY-SOUND-CAREER MOVE for the traditionally published. I've seen more than one article out lately quoting statistics that state the hybrid author, one who self-pubs on top of traditionally publishing, is the one making the most money these days. This is the current state that I'm in right now... but I'll share more about MY story at the end.

4.) FISH ARE BITING but not getting hooked. You're a great writer. You might even have a great agent. Your book is excellent, and you've been to pub board a few times. But something about your book is not pushing you over the edge. Maybe it's a niche market that a publisher is nervous about taking the risk on. Maybe you write just a little edgier than some CBA publishers are willing to tackle. (I'm seeing that as less of an excuse these days, though.) This might be a good book to self-publish then.

5.) FAN-BASE: ACQUIRED! Do you already have a great platform as well as a great book? Do you love marketing? Does selling your books make you giddy with excitement? Do you have lots of technological talent? Do you have funds to invest into things like professional editing/cover design? Do you have time to devote to learning? Then you might totally want to go this whole publishing thing alone! GO FOR IT!

Me?

I always said I'd never self-publish.

- It didn't sound like fun.
- My story was not for my family (my family, for the most part, aren't really romance novel readers)
- I fished enough as a kid to know that when you get nibbles... if you're patient enough... the bite will come at some point.
- And I definitely don't have all the qualifications of #5!

My first novel was released in 2012. I was SO excited!

But what some know (but others might not know) is that during the previous 2 years, my life had been a big huge chaotic mess. I gave birth to daughter #4 in 2010. She was born with a severe heart defect and spent TEN months in the hospital, then was in and out of the hospital for the next year. During that time, I signed with an agent, contracted my first book, and then the next year, I released it.

I also had to let go of my day job as my daughter required full-time intensive care at home. She was on a feeding tube/oxygen and needed an unreal amount of therapy. She also came home on TWENTY different medications.

It wasn't an easy time. I struggled through the editing and marketing process of releasing that first book, as I was also struggling with trying to figure out how to be a nurse to my daughter, worrying about how to pay bills without a job (my husband had always been a stay-at-home-dad, but Annabelle's needs were beyond his ability.) And honestly? I deal with a lot of post-stress depression that I'm only recently "waking up" from.

Writing new stuff... well, I tried. I'd go in little spurts, but it was a struggle, both time wise and emotional wise.

So last year, things were starting to calm down a little. The biggest change is that my fuzzy, traumatized heart was beginning to mend.

I took a look at my writing career and was sad. That first book hadn't done as well as I'd wanted. And it was no wonder. It had a struggling author supporting it, and no follow-up books to help back-sell it either.

What was an author to do? I mean, the book hadn't been a total flop. People were asking when the next book was going to come out. Even if I did have something ready (and I almost did) it'd probably be a year to two years, even if I did immediately publish it.

So I talked to my agent at the time about the idea of self-pubbing a book, maybe a novella, to fill in the gap. She gave the idea a thumbs up, and even suggested I do more than one.

The more I prayed about it, the more excited and "right" it felt. So I started on the journey, doing researching and writing.

I'm almost there. I don't have an exact release date, but I hope to firm it up in the next week or two.

A Side of Faith will be the first book, a novella sequel to the first, Sandwich, With a Side of Romance.

The two that will follow will be A Side of Hope  and A Side of Love.

So, this was MY reasoning. A business move, and a way to bring books to my readers while I work on finishing my next full-length and attempting to start the process of pitching.

What about you? Have you ever thought about self-publishing? Are you approaching it as a business decision or a i-don't-know-what-else-to-do option?

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance . She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com.

Top 10 Not-So-Brilliant Reasons to Self-Publish

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

I always said I would never self-publish.

Not because of any stereotype, but just because I didn't want to.

But here I am, in the midst of preparing to do just that.

The reasons to self-publish vary, and I'll be sharing my OWN journey to that in two weeks.

I thought I'd use today to detail some not-so-stellar (in my personal opinion) reasons to self-publish.

10.) Because publishers are aliens who have come from outerspace to steal all your profits. 

(Most) publishers goals are for you to sell a boat-load of books and that you BOTH make a ton of money. If you are approaching self-publishing just because you think publishers are stupid and greedy, then your motivation is out-of-whack, and it won't bode well on your future success.

9.) Because publishers/editors/agents are telling you that your writing reeks of sour milk, so you are going to take your curdles and do it yourself, dad gum it.

Telling someone their craft needs improvement isn't always easy. So if multiple people are telling you this, and you decide YOU are right and THEY are idiots, and put your stuff out there anyway, then you have a great potential of publishing sub-par material. No writer wants that.

8.) Because you'll be the next SHACK success...

Odds are, you won't. Sometimes the truth just hurts.

7.) Because you want to quit your day job with all your plethora of earnings... (since those publishers aren't taking their greedy profits...)

Maybe just take a few vacation days first just to see....

6.) Because you have an eye on a nice Corvette....

see #8

5.) All your friends told you to...

If you friends tell you to jump off a bridge, would you do that too?

4.) It's just so EASY...

Easy is in the eye of the beholder. If you're going into self-publishing thinking you can just slap some words on a paper, use MS Publisher and already downloaded clipart to make a really cool cover, and click a few buttons in Createspace and WOOT, a book is done, 24 hours later... You are mistaken.

You might have a book out there.... but you also might not have readers either.

3.) You'll finally have READERS...

You know the age old question, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it... did it really make any sound?

Well, if a book is put on Amazon for purchase but no one knows about it, will you have readers? (beside your mother and family....)

While it is fine to want people to read your book, the desire for readers alone is not a good reason for self-publishing. (there is one exception to this, see my post in 2 weeks for that!)

2.) Because I want to publish the super secret story about my ex-boyfriend and let the world know what a cheater he is...

I've never heard of anyone doing this. The more I think about it, it might be kinda funny, although not very Christian regarding the whole "revenge is mine" says the Lord thing...

Regardless, telling someone else's story without their permission when you have no right to it probably wouldn't be a great idea. (have a lawyer handy....)

1.) Just because.

I mean, well, you can do it just because. But it's kinda a dumb reason. Just sayin'...

Anyone have some reasons, silly or real, to NOT self-publish? 

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance . She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner.

A Wise Man Will Hear....

*gulp*

I'm stepping out on a bit of a new journey for myself.

I always swore I would never self-publish. I didn't have anything against it, I just had ZERO aspirations to be a publisher. I just wanted to write a story.

But I'm stepping over to the other side this year.

I'm SUPER new to this journey, so I thought it'd be fun to take you all along with me. So my next few posts will include things that I have learned (and probably more like, WILL learn over the next few months!) My hope is that I can share the FUN and the NERVES and the CHALLENGES and the LEARNING CURVES that come along with it.

I'll make lots of mistakes. I'm 100% confident of that.

But sometimes God calls us out of our comfort zone, and this is definitely it.

My first bit of advice for my first post on this is a simple one:

SEEK WISE COUNCIL.

We're told this as writers anyway, but I think it is just as important if not more so when considering publishing on your own.

I've chatted with a few self-pubbed authors, including former Alleycat Wendy Paine Miller who just released her first full-length independently published novel, The Flower Girls. She was one of my go-to advisors, and oh-my-goodness, I'm so thankful for her friendship and words of advice!

I also talked with some members who had gone down that path before me in a local writer's group as well, including one of my favorite authors, Tamara Leigh.

So yes. That's my advice.

Talk to those who have gone before. Find out the cost, the pitfalls, the dangers, the rewards. Comb through Google and read articles until you can't stand Google anymore. The more AWARE you are at the front means you will have realistic expectations and can make GOOD realistic (yet HIGH) goals for yourself.

Discussion: How has learning from those who have gone before helped you? Anyone specific come along to help you in your writing journey, whether toward independent publishing or traditional?

The Danger of "I'll Never _____ "

Never is a strong word.... about as strong if not equal to its friend, Forever.

When I was a teen in the youth group at church, one speaker once said, "Don't tell God you'll never do something, because chances are, he'll ask you to do it."

Secret: I was deathly afraid God would call me to be a missionary to a 3rd world country. Now, don't judge. The biggest reason for my fear was FOOD. I was a horribly picky eater, to the point that I'd throw up if something hit my stomach wrong. And the stories of what those people had to eat....

So.... from them on, I told God I would be SO VERY HAPPY if He called me to be a missionary to one of those places with no bathrooms or showers and where you had to eat bugs for dinner. BRING. IT. ON.

Well, for those who know me, you probably know that God never called me to that. I have no dillusions though that my fake happy entreaty to God did the trick. I'm fairly certain God rolled his eyes and was like, "Crazy girl, you just wait to see what I REALLY have in store for you."

While my motives weren't pure in that case, the experience did teach me a valuable lesson, one about the word "NEVER."

Pretty much... Never say Never.

As writers, self doubt is sure to come in at times. And that yucky word will rear its ugly head in our brains.

"I'll never get an agent."

"I'll never be published."

"I'll never be a best seller."

"I'll never get this stupid book ending right!"

"I'll never get enough blog viewers to have any size platform that publishers won't laugh at."

These words do NO good to use, except weaken our resolve. Our efforts are often in direct relation to our expecations. If we expect to fail, chances are, we probably win. If we expect to do our best and leave it up to God, well, I'd say that's just about right!

So I say--- abolish the "will never" and replace it with CAN!

"I CAN get an agent."
"I CAN be published"
"I CAN be a best seller"
"I CAN get this stupid book ending right!"
"I CAN get a fabulous blog following that publishers won't laugh at."

Notice... I didn't say to just delete never and keep the will.

GOD only knows the "will".

YOU can know the CAN though.

Another fun never I'm abolishing this year.

"I'll NEVER independently publish."

It was never a dream of mine. Never something I aspired to. But last year, an idea popped into my brain. God confirmed it on SO many levels, and it's shaping up to be a REALITY this year.

Am I nervous?

HECK YEAH!

Could I fail?

OH MY GOODNESS yes.

WILL I fail?

Only God knows.

But CAN I do it?

YES, YES, YES! I can.

Discussion: What about you? Do you struggle with the evil never? How do you change your vocabulary?

Jumping off Bridges

"If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?"

You know, that whole "don't follow the crowd if the crowd is stupid" adage your mother gave you when growing up... and you may have spouted it to your own kids now.

And it's smart too. Kinda. Most of the time.

Here is the thing, though. Let's say... the bridge was on fire. And the only way to survive was to jump in the water. All your friends are jumping in...

Then the answer is, "Yes, Mom... I WOULD jump off that bridge."

And there may be those dare-devils out there that have a bungee-cord attached to them that do it for the thrill. Guess there are various opinions on the wiseness of such a sport!

What does bridge jumping have to do with writing, you ask?

Well... there are a lot of changes going on in the publishing industry lately. Self-pub, epub, small press, no advance, agent-or-no-agent.... lots of people have some very STRONG opinions one way or another.

Not to mention genre fads that come and go like vampires, epics, Amish romance and 50 shades crap *ahem*.

Do we follow the crowd, or do we pave our own path? Is doing something "different" the equivalent of saving ourselves or jumping off a bridge and going splat?

Honestly, I'm a firm believer that there are no right or wrong answers... not earthly answers anyway.

I don't believe just following a crowd (or in writing speak, "trends") is the way to go... for the very same reason your momma warned you against it. Following a crowd just means that you have a lot of company in whatever you are doing... not necessarily that you are doing the RIGHT thing.

But if the crowd is doing something, it's prudent to know about it and find out why. Is it something you want to follow? Is it where God is leading you? Is it SMART? Because knowledge is POWER in pretty much all facets of business, including the writing one.

Another fun note.... the most successful people are on the FRONT END of that crowd... but that involves a bit of risk. If you are a path paver... then you start down a path that is sparsely populated. YOU decide to jump off a bridge when no one else is. This involves a great deal of risk 'cause you might fall flat on your face.

Or you could jump right into your awesome destiny that God has for you.

In conclusion... there is no right or wrong answer. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. Sometimes you run the opposite direction. But your path is just that, YOUR OWN... and you need to make smart decisions at each step.

One word of caution: Just because YOU chose a certain path, doesn't mean it is right for others. There seems to be a lot of criticism in ALL directions these days, and it makes me sad. Especially as Christians, let's lift each other up, not tear each other down.

Question: Would call yourself a path paver or a "follow the leader" bridge jumper? Or do you just cling the bridge with all your might?

Publishing & eBooks...what's ahead?

Photo by adamr at freedigitalphotos.net

I just read an article in the Huffington Post about eBooks and their effect on publishing. (You can read the article HERE.) I guess I didn't realize publishers were expanding their eBook lines, but take a look at some of these statistics from the article:

• 4 out of 5 publishers now produce eBooks 
• A majority of publishers produce 1/2 of their titles as eBooks
• Nearly 1/2 of publishers produce more than 75% as eBooks

Are you as surprised as I was? I was shocked, really. I guess I shouldn't be, because many of the review sites that I belong to now offer titles in digital form. Just about every book I look at on Amazon is offered in Kindle format. 

And here is a statistic from the article about Amazon:

• For every 100 print book Amazon sells, they sell 114 eBooks.

I read another article at The Guardian (HERE) that talked about 4 self-published books making the NYT eBook Bestseller's list the first week in August 2012. Four of them were self-published! Wow, huh? That's rather encouraging.

eBooks are here to stay, folks!

So do these kinds of statistics make you wonder if you could ever self-publish? If you could get a crazy good cover and get your book edited by a professional, do you think you would ever take the plunge and self-publish? 

Or are you going to stay the course and get published the traditional way? I know for me, I think that this is probably the safer route. Less work, for sure, in the area of marketing! While you have to journey through the mounds of rejections, once you get a contract, the publishing house has their own marketing. Yes, I know they want you to generate buzz, but face it....we don't have the marketing ability that a big publisher does. 

Since I've never been published, and I don't reckon I will any time soon, I may be talking jibberish, but I do find the news on eBooks and self-publishing a bit tantalizing. 

So how about you? What are your thought about self-publishing?

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is wife to "Pastor John" and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

Getting Published: An Interview with Mary DeMuth with Book Review

I have listened to audio recordings of Mary DeMuth speaking at Mount Hermon and I have noticed she stuffs a plethora of information in a single session. After reading 11 Secrets to Getting Published, I can tell you every paragraph is worthy of notetaking. DeMuth's ebook will join my "resource" file so I can reread and continue to glean from it. For instance, here's some advice from Mary I intend to follow:

Be nekkid.

OK, pick your jaw off the floor.  This is still a family friendly blog.

This is some of the most authentic advice DeMuth has to offer and she strives to live it out through her fiction. The philosophy of writing true, reflecting our own journey in our fiction has transformed my writing life. DeMuth shows the reader how she develops a mission statement for her own writing. 

The wealth of practical tips DeMuth provides are invaluable. I am still fighting the old single space after a period rule after learning to type on an electric typewriter. It was worth the price of the book alone to know there is an easy way to fix this error in Microsoft Word.

Here are a few of the questions Mary DeMuth answers:

*How do you use independent clauses?

*Are you guilty of cliche abuse?

*How do you reduce your interruptions? (Mary DeMuth's words on self-discipline need to be posted on THIS homeschooling mama's refrigerator to keep them in memory).

*What do I need to massacre in order to make my fiction better (Or perhaps who in the case of mysteries)....

*What can I learn about writing from U2?

*Why is finding an agent like dating? (OK, this brings back nightmares about high school prom, bad hairdos, and dates who wouldn't pay their own way)...

In the appendixes, DeMuth provides feedback on reader questions, tackling some of the biggest fears head-on.  Eleven Secrets to Getting Published is a great resource I can highly recommend for writers from beginner to novice.

I enjoyed interviewing Mary to share some of her insights about the publishing world.  Leave a comment including your email address if you are interested in Mary DeMuth's latest fiction release, The Muir House.  Casey would like to offer a copy to an interested reader.

What are your thoughts on epublishing in general?  Do you think this is the way the market is moving?

I used to think of it negatively until my hubby bought me a Kindle. Now I love ebooks. I do think that ebooks and epublishing are becoming very common. I’ve even heard that folks with reading devices read more, so this is good news for the writer.

How did you make the decision to epublish your writing books?

I knew the niche was very small, so a publisher wouldn’t be likely to pick up the book.

Would you recommend epublishing for those who aren't yet published?

Yes, but with a caveat. Don’t just put any old words out there. Be sure it’s your very best. Have the book edited by a professional. I know it’s cliché, but you only have one chance to make a first impression. You don’t want to live with regret or be embarrassed about what you’ve written.

Did you hire a publicist for marketing?

It depends on the book I’m promoting. I am mostly traditionally published, so the publishing houses often assign my book to an in-house publicist. Sometimes they hire out. With The Muir House (novel, Zondervan), I hired a publicist to help me advertise the book in my hometown, since it is set there.

What is your marketing plan for selling your ebooks?  Does it differ greatly from your marketing plan for your print books?

I have given away several hundred, which is also the same for print books. Books sell by buzz, so it’s good to have people read them, and let them decide how they’ll buzz about your book.

How do you balance marketing time with writing time?

Not an easy thing at all. I had no idea marketing would take so much time.

Many writers here have recently dealt with rejection.  Do you have any words of encouragement?

Rejoice! Rejection means you’re brave and gutsy, that you’re trying. If you don’t risk, you don’t get rejected. I’ve been rejected a lot. So much. A ton. And here’s the sad truth: rejection gets HARDER the longer you’re in this writing career, so you need to settle the issue of your identity now. You are not worthy because you write. You are worthy because you are loved.

How did you choose your tagline?  Do you have any tips for writers on choosing a tagline?

I asked my email distribution list, my facebook page, and my twitter friends what they thought of when they thought of me. After gathering that feedback, Live Uncaged just happened. It’s perfect, but it took about a month of processing to get there.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your recent release, The 11 Secrets of Getting Published?

It’s everything I know about writing and publishing downloaded into a 60,000+ word book. Over 300 pages. I’m raising the cost to $4.99 on August 15th so if you’d like it for $2.99, order now. Here’s a link that tells you more: http://www.marydemuth.com/store/the-11-secrets-of-getting-published-2-99-ebook/

We would love to hear your thoughts.  And don't forget to add your email address if you are interested in entering for a copy of The Muir House.

Special Guest Saturday: Cathy Bryant on Self Publishing

THE BENEFITS & DRAWBACKS TO SELF-PUBLISHING

By Cathy Bryant

Ask for a definition of “self-publishing” and you’ll get different answers. People often confuse self-publishing with subsidy publishing, where the author pays a publishing company to publish their work (usually at astronomical costs). For the purpose of this article, self-publishing refers to authors who form their own publishing company for the purpose of publishing their work.

Now for a disclaimer. I recently published my first novel, TEXAS ROADS, under my own imprint, WordVessel Press. I’m still very green at this entire process and learning as I go. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m happy to share what I’ve learned during the process.

BENEFITS TO SELF-PUBLISHING:

1. You maintain the rights and control of your work.

If you publish traditionally, your contract will transfer ownership to the publisher. Many times, not only will you lose print rights, but all rights. Once the book goes out of print, these rights usually return to the author. With self-publishing, you control all rights, including the ability to put the book in electronic and/or audio format.

2. You keep a larger percentage of the profits.

One author mentioned in a blog interview that she only made six cents per copy of a mass market book she wrote. I don’t know how she arrived at that number, how accurate it is, and if she figured in her advance, but in comparison, my trade size novel nets me at the very least a dollar a copy (brick and mortar bookstore sales).

3. You call the shots.

This can actually be a drawback, depending on your perspective. Some authors prefer to have someone else making the decisions. Personally, I enjoyed the process of making decisions about my book. I relished having creative control of the interior and exterior design. I liked setting the cost and deciding what formats to use. I decide when to offer discounts and for how much. I choose the number of copies to giveaway or offer as review books.

4. More frequent pay.

My only experience with traditional publishing and royalty payments came from six children’s songs I published traditionally. It was nice to get the advance, but the royalty payments after that were embarrassingly small. Since my book hit the market, it’s produced a steady income—nothing I could retire on, mind you—but it’s only been a couple of months. In addition, the book never has to go out of print. Another benefit!

5. Quicker Turn-Around Time

I loved being able to schedule the publication details at my convenience. The amount of time from when the book is written to publication is much quicker than waiting for a publishing company.

DRAWBACKS TO SELF-PUBLISHING

1. Lotsa, lotsa, lotsa work!

Self-publishers wear many hats: business owner, format specialist, book designer, writer, publicist, sales and promotion guru, and so on. The work load is endless. All these chores take time away from writing. Once these first three to six months have passed I hope to spend only a few hours a week on promotion and sales, and more time on writing. If that doesn’t happen, I have the option of hiring help.

2. Distribution/Shelf Space in Brick & Mortar stores

Though this is probably the biggest drawback to self-publishing, it’s not a hopeless situation. I recently submitted Texas Roads to Lightning Source, Inc. for the sole purpose of getting the book on the Ingram database. Brick and mortar bookstores order from this database, so it’s an important part of the process.

3. The Stigma of Self-Publishing

The stigma of being self-published is not as great as it once was, but it does still exist. Some people won’t give a self-published book one glance. We’ve all read horrible self-published books. But guess what? I’ve also read great self-published books and horrible traditionally published books. Unfortunately, the stigma exists, fair or not.

4. Upfront costs

Any time you set up a new business there will be costs involved. Starting your own publishing company is no different. But it doesn’t have to be so costly that you stand no chance of recouping your initial investment. Check out your options and set a budget before you jump in. While I’ve yet to break even, the gap between what I’ve spent and what I’ve made is narrowing—and quickly!

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Though I ended with a point about cost, the decision to self-publish is much more than economics. I can only speak for myself, but for me it’s never been about money. My choice came from a strong conviction that it was what I was supposed to do. My advice when considering which publishing route you should take is to pray about it and do your research. With online bookstores, electronic books, and quality print-on-demand services, self-publishing is quickly becoming a more viable option for writers.



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Cathy Bryant’s debut novel, TEXAS ROADS, was a 2009 ACFW Genesis finalist and tells the story of a disillusioned widow’s quest for home. The book is available at Amazon.com and in eBook format at Smashwords.com. A Texas gal since birth, Cathy lives in a century-old farmhouse with her husband and a phobia-ridden cat. You can learn more about her at http://www.catbryant.com/