Hello,
I know many of you newbie writers are probably terrified of researching all of the pros and cons of self publishing. I know this, because, I too was in the same predicament whilst writing my first novel. And you have every right to be frightened. If you're writing for passion or trying to make a professional career from your work, you still want "your baby" to be handled with the same care and hard work you've spent months, maybe even years to produce.
Well, I'm here to share my personal experiences of both, self and traditional publishing and hopefully it will help you come closer to an educated decision. When I finished my manuscript in 2009, I was super excited and felt that it would be no way that any of the big names in the publishing world wouldn't snatch me up IMMEDIATELY. So I sat down with my pad with all the names of the major Publishing Houses, and one by one, I mailed them my manuscript. But after weeks, sometimes months of waiting for an acceptance letter and an advance check - what came instead were a slew of rejection letters.
I read each rejection letter and wondered if someone had played an evil joke on me and switched my original manuscript with theirs. But when I finally accepted the fact that no one had pulled a switch-a-roo with my manuscript, I was devastated. So when I met a gentleman at a Brixton café who gave me all the details of a publishing company, I was elated. I contacted the CEO of this company the same day, he asked me to send him my synopsis and bio and in less than a week later I had signed a contract. PHEW! All my troubles are now over. . .I thought. Actually they were just beginning and honestly I was equally responsible for my novel not reaching its full potential.
I was just so happy that someone wanted to publish my work and the world would finally know who was behind this phenomenal bestseller - I overlooked every red flag and strange sick feeling in my gut. My first sign was he asked me for money, but I wasn't too concerned, because I had heard of other authors paying to get their work out there. But then things had gotten progressively worst. Like the time he asked my graphic designer to upload my book, because his "computer is down", then he not only changed the company name once, but three times. And the final straw for me was when I had to beg for my royalties which were extremely overdue and he sent me another author's invoice with his book sales.
Then I went the self pub route, which I thought would be a piece of cake. It wasn't. Not for me anyway; that's because I knew absolutely JACK about marketing and even less about the business aspect. But I will say I learned a lot from making mistakes which I'll never make again and that's what I want to share with you.
. Do your homework. Research. Research. And research some more.
. Be wary of Publishing Houses that changes its company name too frequently.
. Set personal goals. They may be a lot different from those of your publishing house.
. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If your publisher has any problems answering them, that could be a red flag that something may be wrong.
. If you aren't a good salesperson, chances are self publishing isn't right for you.
. If you're self publishing, don't look for the big bucks right away. It takes time to build confidence in selling yourself and your product.
. Believe in yourself and in your project.
Now, I know I've given you a lot of perils, but as we all know the good comes with the bad and there's a lot of good in both as well. Who wouldn't want the security of an established publishing house to market their work, let alone the financial support they can offer. With self publishing you must be friendly, but not pushy. I once spent twenty minutes talking to a potential book buyer, only for her to tell me "I need to call my daughter to see if she's heard of you." And then there are times when all I have to do is say I'm self publishing and people want to support me. Whatever your personal angle, don't be hard on yourself if at first you don't sell any books. Work on your approach and trust me, it'll become easier each time.
I sincerely hope this was somewhat hopeful. All the best to you and don't forget this applies to both, self and traditional publishing: Do Your Homework!
Andreia x
I know many of you newbie writers are probably terrified of researching all of the pros and cons of self publishing. I know this, because, I too was in the same predicament whilst writing my first novel. And you have every right to be frightened. If you're writing for passion or trying to make a professional career from your work, you still want "your baby" to be handled with the same care and hard work you've spent months, maybe even years to produce.
Well, I'm here to share my personal experiences of both, self and traditional publishing and hopefully it will help you come closer to an educated decision. When I finished my manuscript in 2009, I was super excited and felt that it would be no way that any of the big names in the publishing world wouldn't snatch me up IMMEDIATELY. So I sat down with my pad with all the names of the major Publishing Houses, and one by one, I mailed them my manuscript. But after weeks, sometimes months of waiting for an acceptance letter and an advance check - what came instead were a slew of rejection letters.
I read each rejection letter and wondered if someone had played an evil joke on me and switched my original manuscript with theirs. But when I finally accepted the fact that no one had pulled a switch-a-roo with my manuscript, I was devastated. So when I met a gentleman at a Brixton café who gave me all the details of a publishing company, I was elated. I contacted the CEO of this company the same day, he asked me to send him my synopsis and bio and in less than a week later I had signed a contract. PHEW! All my troubles are now over. . .I thought. Actually they were just beginning and honestly I was equally responsible for my novel not reaching its full potential.
I was just so happy that someone wanted to publish my work and the world would finally know who was behind this phenomenal bestseller - I overlooked every red flag and strange sick feeling in my gut. My first sign was he asked me for money, but I wasn't too concerned, because I had heard of other authors paying to get their work out there. But then things had gotten progressively worst. Like the time he asked my graphic designer to upload my book, because his "computer is down", then he not only changed the company name once, but three times. And the final straw for me was when I had to beg for my royalties which were extremely overdue and he sent me another author's invoice with his book sales.
Then I went the self pub route, which I thought would be a piece of cake. It wasn't. Not for me anyway; that's because I knew absolutely JACK about marketing and even less about the business aspect. But I will say I learned a lot from making mistakes which I'll never make again and that's what I want to share with you.
. Do your homework. Research. Research. And research some more.
. Be wary of Publishing Houses that changes its company name too frequently.
. Set personal goals. They may be a lot different from those of your publishing house.
. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If your publisher has any problems answering them, that could be a red flag that something may be wrong.
. If you aren't a good salesperson, chances are self publishing isn't right for you.
. If you're self publishing, don't look for the big bucks right away. It takes time to build confidence in selling yourself and your product.
. Believe in yourself and in your project.
Now, I know I've given you a lot of perils, but as we all know the good comes with the bad and there's a lot of good in both as well. Who wouldn't want the security of an established publishing house to market their work, let alone the financial support they can offer. With self publishing you must be friendly, but not pushy. I once spent twenty minutes talking to a potential book buyer, only for her to tell me "I need to call my daughter to see if she's heard of you." And then there are times when all I have to do is say I'm self publishing and people want to support me. Whatever your personal angle, don't be hard on yourself if at first you don't sell any books. Work on your approach and trust me, it'll become easier each time.
I sincerely hope this was somewhat hopeful. All the best to you and don't forget this applies to both, self and traditional publishing: Do Your Homework!
Andreia x