A Lesson in Self-Publishing

A couple of folks have asked if I'd offer some thoughts on how to self-publish successfully, since we were recently chatting on this blog about self-publishing options. If you go to Lightning Source, the setup for the book is $35, plus another $35 for the cover. You also pay another $35 for the ISBN number. They'll send you a cover template (complete with barcode, which you MUST have if you're going to sell it in any store). You'll pay about $3 each for the ink/paper/binding of a 200 page book, or $4.50 for a 300 page novel, plus an extra $1 apiece for the cover. You can order as few as you want, but you'll discover there are discounts starting at 50 copies. Then you'll have a shipping charge added to that. They're fast, and will get you your books in about two to three weeks. So... your total per book cost is going to be roughly $6 per book, give or take how many pages it is, how many copies you get, and what all you do with the cover. 

You know why most self-pubbed are looked down upon? Because they are badly written, poorly edited, and have lousy covers. (Wait -- before you self-pubbed types write to tell me how wonderful your book is, you should know that I've done this a long time. I've self-pubbed my own books. I've been involved with dozens of self-published titles. And I've been in the industry for a couple decades. Believe me, I can recognize crappy writing, editing, and design -- and most self-pubbed titles have all three. Yours may be the exception, but that's the common impression people hold of self-pubbed books, and they hold it for a reason.) So keep this in mind: There are a lot of good people working in publishing, and if they all say the book isn't that good... well, they may be right. So don't parade your arrogance around by publishing another lousy book. 

So what can you do to make your self-pubbed book better? First, do your research. If you don't know anything about the process, talk to some people who have successfully self-published. Second, hand it over to a professional editor. That might change your book cost by dollar or two per copy, but it's worth it. A second set of eyes will catch things you've missed because you're too close to it. Be wary of paying an editing fee to a vanity press, who may or may not have quality editors on staff. With very little work,you can locate a good editor to assist you with your book. Third, invest a couple hundred bucks with an artist who can create a nice-looking, salable cover. Again, this will drive your price up. But you'll never sell a book with a bad cover. (In fact, I've seen pretty good books fail because of horrid covers.) Fourth, before you hand over your print file, hire a copyeditor to do one last check. Yes, that's another expense... but having that third set of eyes will simply make your book look much more professional. Fifth (and perhaps most important), have a plan in place to market your book BEFORE it releases. Most self-publishing authors fail because they can produce the book, but then don't know how to sell the actual copies. 

I've self-published several books successfully. I did hardcover nonfiction books, had a lot of editing done, paid an artist for the cover, and had a plan in place. Those books cost me about $8 each. They were a specialty item (books of card tricks for magicians), so they had a high retail price tag -- $40. That worked great for me, but I knew exactly how to sell books of cards tricks. I knew which magazines card magicians subscribed to, knew how to get them reviewed in magic magazines, knew how to get the books to magic conventions, and knew who my audience was and how to reach them. I also knew their language -- what they wanted in a book of card tricks. So I had a plan for selling the books. I've helped other people do trade-size paperbacks. Those cost about $6 each, and they normally sold for $10-$12, so the author was making more on his self-published books than if he had sold the book to a traditional publisher and received a royalty. BUT HE HAD AN AVENUE FOR SELLING THEM. The issue for most self-published authors is that they think through how to get the books, but not how to sell them. If you don't have a platform, if you don't know who and where your audience is, and if you don't have a written plan to reach them, you're probably just publishing a book out of vanity. 

Think about this: Some of the self-publishing ventures you'll discover will charge you as much as $100 per book. They'll try to get you to sign on with their marketing efforts (generally for a very large fee). They may or may not deliver on their promise. Think of it as building a house -- you can pay a big fee to a general contractor to have it done for you, or you can do much of the work yourself and get it done for less money. I'm not saying the self-publishing companies are unfair -- they're just trying to make a profit. But be aware that you can probably accomplish the same thing for far less money. 

Two other notes: First, there is, in my opinion, almost ZERO market for self-published novelists. No matter how much time you spend improving your manuscript, people don't want to buy a novel unless it comes from a legit source. You have to hand-sell every copy. If you've got a big group of friends, and you're satisfied you can make this work, have at it. But be aware that you're not going to make any money. Second, my friend and fellow literary agent Rachelle Gardner put it very well when she noted recently, "Understand that self-publishing is an alternative to regular, royalty-paying commercial publishing, not a stepping stone to it." She said it perfectly. I don't believe that your self-pubbed book will get you a publishing contract with Random House or Harper Collins. Just so you know. 

Let me close with something you'll appreciate... A couple years ago, some folks decided to try and find the worst self-published book on the market. I was sent a copy of the winner, just for a laugh. The title: How to Good-bye Depression. The subtitle (and I swear I'm not making this up), is: If you constrict anus 100 times everyday. Malarky? or Effective Way? 

With a guaranteed winner subtitle like that, I'm sure you'll agree this must be one life-changing book. The author is Mr. Hiroyuki Nishigaki. His chapter titles include: Turn to bay throwing away pride, Save sex energy and rotate vortex, erase your bad stickiness and multiply various good feeling, and of course the immortal Stare, shoot out immaterial fiber, ucceed in concentrating, behave with abandon-largess-humour and beckon the spirit (I double-checked to make sure I had that one correct, complete with the word "ucceed"). 

There's obviously much to think about here. Rotating your vortex is no doubt a good thing. I've long been an outspoken vortex-rotator, as my friends can attest. And I'm all for erasing your bad stickiness -- a topic that just doesn't get enough mention these days. I'm not as sold on shooting out immaterial fiber, but I may not be as far along in the process as Mr. Nishigaki. Still, you've got to admit the whole idea offers many helpful benefits. As he says in his back cover copy, "I think constricting anus 100 times and denting navel 100 times in succession everyday is effective to goodbye depression and take back youth. You can do so at boring meeting or in a subway. I have known 70-year-old man who has practiced it for 20 years... His eyes sparkle. He is full of vigor, happiness and joy. Furthermore, he can make * * three times in succession." The copy goes on to mention that this man has burned out his stickiness and is busy shooting out his immaterial fiber, so it MUST work. As the author puts it, "If you don't know that... your life looks like hell." 

Just think of the promise offered there. If you're facing a boring meeting this week, you may want to order a copy...

http://www.amazon.com/How-Good-bye-Depression-Constrict-Everyday/dp/0595094724/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259546539&sr=1-1

Comments

[AimeeLS]

DANGER! OVERLOADING LAUGHING-BONE!

If you not remove jokes with fastness, reader shoots immaterial fibers in looks like 5 seconds.

You have been warned considerably.

5....4....3....2....

[Alison]

Oh my gosh. Thanks for the laugh.

[Lauren Sylvan]

Chip,
What useful information! (The ISBN comes from Bowker's, not Lightning Source.)

[Kay Dew Shostak]

Chip, you've probably just had more folks practicing Mr. Nishigaki's principles with this blog, than he ever did with his book. I feel younger already!

[Linore Rose Burkard]

Hi Chip,

I appreciate this post--you had me laughing harder than I thought possible before my morning coffee, but also because I'll be teaching a workshop on the pitfalls of self-publishing in February, and I love how succinctly you wrapped up the issue.

The "reality-checks" you mention are so important and yet so frequently overlooked. Most people aren't ready or suited for self-publishing, and to do a work of excellence requires up-front footwork.

As I am previously self-published myself, I'll be including information on how to beat the odds, but you've really grabbed the issue at the jugular by noting that poor editing, poor book covers, and no marketing plan are the reasons why so many of these books fail.

Thanks for another great post.

Linore Rose Burkard
http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com

PS: Anyone from Ohio or thereabouts who may be interested in attending my workshop, which is part of a mini-conference from Greater Harvest, go ahead and email me. When the brochure is ready, I'll send you the pdf.
Linore (at) LinoreRoseBurkard (dot) com.

[Timothy Fish]

Chip,

I agree with most of what you said, though there are cheaper ways to self-publish a book with an ISBN. When an author chooses that route, it is good to consider all the options and the trade-offs.

Editing is the major killer for most of us, whether we intend to self-publish or just want someone to help us make our manuscript the best it can be before we send our queries. You talk of hiring a professional editor, but the quality of work put out by professional editors seems to be hit and miss. When we see prices like $7,000 to edit a full length novel, we begin to question just how much we care if the book has a few mistakes or not. Besides, we aren't sure what we're going to get for our money. I opened up the writing book that seems to be the topic of the week and found a mistake on the first page. This is a book on writing, put out by a traditional publisher that we assume hired at least one professional editor and yet there it is for everyone to see. I don't mean to sound like I'm saying that traditional publishers do as poor of a job as self-publishers. What I mean to point out is that since people expect self-published books to have problems, the only way for editing to pay for itself is if it produces a book that surprises people for its lack of mistakes, but how can we do that when even traditional publishers are having trouble finding competent editors? I don't have the option to try someone on a few books to see how it goes. I have one book and I would like for it to be perfect on the first time out.

[Carla Anne]

I don't usually find myself laughing at your posts, but this one took the cake!!

I have a question about the marketing of self-publishing houses. There is one in Canada who markets directly to bookstores, auto-ships to bookstores, pastors, churches, libraries, etc. They also have reps who go to the stores to sell their books. Is this not what you were talking about? I had thought this was a much better option than doing something like an online self-publishing venture. What is your take on that? (Provided of course I've done my homework on the editing and cover.)

[Sharon A Lavy]

I DO NOT WANT TO LAUGH at this but I cannot help it.

Laughter is the best medicine, so thanks.

[Brandt Dodson]

Vortex-rotation was an ancient art practiced by some segments of Mayan culture who believed that the technique cleared the mind for reception of future events. Later, as these practitioners uncovered the vast links between mind and spirit, they began to include the erasure of personal stickiness which eventually lead to the erasure of "bad" stickiness (all stickiness isn't bad, apparently, and a delineation between the two had to be made).

However, as the Mayan culutre progressed, the final link in the mind-spirit chain was discovered and this rounded out the entire sequence into the mind-spirit-body phenomenon. The latter was discovered to improve with the ejection of immaterial fiber. This particular by-product of cellular waste has recently been revealed as a major component in bad writing. It should be noted, that Mayan predictions of the end of the world in 2012 were made BEFORE the discovery of the benefits of releasing immaterial fiber.

Hope this helps.

[Rachel Hauck]

You should self publish a book on all your encounters as an agent. I'd buy that book.

Rachel

[Jim MacKrell]

Without trying to argue, are you sure about your statement, "First, there is, in my opinion, almost ZERO market for self-published novelists. No matter how much time you spend improving your manuscript, people don't want to buy a novel unless it comes from a legit source"
I mean are there no exceptions? Without quoting or naming books that started self published...I believe that some novel topics lend themselves to building a marketable platform.

[Chip MacGregor]

Excellent news, Sharon. Let me know when you start shooting out immaterial fiber.

[chip responds]

Timothy - Yes, editing can be expensive (though you shouldn't be paying $7k for someone to edit your book -- keep it to something in the $1500 to $3000 range). However, nobody ever gets a book that's "perfect." Sorry, but I just don't think it happens. In my view, you do the best you can.

And Carla, there are companies that will do exactly what you describe (for a fee). I think you just have to gauge the cost -- is it worth the investment? If so, something like that can prove very helpful.

Hi Jim - There are exceptions to everything. Everyone wants to point to "The Shack" as a self-pubbed title that did great. But the reason it's big news is because that is SO RARE. As I said, there is almost zero market for self=pubbed novels. That means there is some... for authors who build a readership and want to sell their own title.

Chip

[Sheila Deeth]

Oh dear. Sounds like a worthy winner.

[deb cleveland]

I think I laughed so hard I just shot out a few immaterial fibers of my own. What a hoot.

[Dee Stewart]

great post chip.

thanks Laura for the comment about going through Bowker for the ISBN.

most of my minister/ministry author clients use Lightning Source and have created great Christian education material for their churches by using them.

I also agree about the cover. Linda Hargrove, which is an ACFW member and an author for Moody is a great cover designer. She did Tia McCollor's The Last Woman Standing Cover.

What I loved most about the post is how you described the number one issue I see with self-publishers, marketing.

"if you don't have a platform, if you don't know who and where your audience is, and if you don't have a written plan to reach them, you're probably just publishing a book out of vanity. "

Self pub novelists have a tough, tough time finding credible marketing venues. They rarely receive invites to be featured authors for literary festivals and book fairs. This is a sad truth.

Unfortunately, some literary businesses take advantage of the selfpub novelists. Some charge them higher exhibition table fees for book events. Some charge them crazy rates to advertise online through their sites, eblast services, blogtalkradio shows, and online conferences. Some book event planners & folks fund their events off the hopes that selfpub authors will pay any price for any kind of publicity opportunity.

They do this because they know that traditional print pubs will rarely showcase them. They understand that traditional print pubs will first satisfy their business relationships with their advertisers(media conglomerates, including publisher) for reviews and author features. Radio producers want celeb authors or authors with large platforms and have media training...

Moreover the publishing industry is working hard at staying solvent. Creating selfpub entities is good business.

It angers me when a potential client comes to me for pr support with a book that should never been made. It angers me that they paid for a book cover designer through these type companies, who did a piss poor job. It angers me that they charge them another fee to make adjustments to the horrible cover design. It angers me that they have convinced them that having the book only available online is good business. It angers me that so many ministers have been duped and it concerns me that more duping will continue.

At some point authors must do the hard work- research this industry, get to know it well, and write a compelling, relevant, page turner before it does anything else.

I feel for writers wanting to get published. I hope to be published someday(i'll be in an anthology in Feb. 2010 with Simon & Schuster.) But I believe in God's good timing and I want other authors to do the same. Unless you have already have a great great book, a list of at least 2,000 direct buyers, a decent marketing budget that includes ad dollars, the money to publish the book(That's another post for you, Chip.) stop, pray, stop again...
Because many of us (me included) are still on the creating a great great book part.

[Lauren Sylvan]

Okay, I'm going to play the Devil's Advocate here. If a writer only spends a few hundred on the attempt, and doesn't end up with a garage full of unwanted books, why not self-publish? At a basic level, it costs less than dinner and a show.

I can't see that it HURTS a writer's career, and it might give them real feedback that they would not get otherwise. Sure, the book won't sell very many copies -- but no copies at all will be sold if you don't publish it. Sure, it may be lousy -- so what? who are we trying to protect here? The readers can toss it down, the writer will learn a lesson, and life will go on.

On a related tangent, not every book needs a huge market, and not every writer cares to be famous or to make money. Many people would like a copy of their own Grandpa's memoirs, even if only three other people shared the interest.

On readers not wanting to read novels not put out by a legit publisher: Yes, curation is important. But that too is shifting. I belong to a forum where the members comment on and rate books (there are many of these springing up) including out-of-print works that are easy to find used online. Some of the books which get recommended are self-published, but other readers (not the relatives or friends of the writer) found them to be good and are spreading the word. The word also spreads about which books purely stink, both self-pubbed and commercially published.

Online reviews and reviewers (amateurs, not controllable by PR firms) and online sales will continue to increase and the physical store venue will continue to shrink. So the savvy marketer will learn how to get social media working for them. Word-of-mouth will quickly reveal if the product isn't worth the reader's time.

Online, the playing field is flat.

[chip responds]

Well... I disagree. The playing field is NOT level at all. Why? Because publishers often have relationships with media people that you don't. If I'm friends with people running an influential website, the field tilts in my favor. AND if an author has done several bad (poorly written, poorly edited, poorly produced) novels, that can, in fact, hurt the author's career, in my opinion (since I've seen it happen).

Of course, I couldn't care less about someone wanting to do Grandma's memoirs. Somebody who wants to do a family history and publish a dozen copies isn't what I'm about, nor is it what this blog is about, Lauren. That's a red herring -- projects that are not in competition with the type of books being written and produced by authors who read this blog.

[Cheryl Pickett]

As I read your blog, Michael Hyatt's and others respected within the industry several questions/thoughts have come to mind recently:

1. I read bookstore returns are now upwards of 40%. If we use 50% for a round number, that means traditional presses are wrong about what will sell at least half of the time on average. What does that really say about what is ultimately chosen and what isn't?

2. I believe it was Michael who stated on his blog that even having a book put out through a major publisher does not guarantee shelf space in any way. Obviously, there are well-known front list authors who come first and who get shelf space first. That being the case, if a trad pubbed author doesn't get shelf space or gets limited promotion, how is that much different than going independent?

3. Not all traditional publishers are large. If I'm not mistaken there are only a handful of big publishers left both in the Christian and secular markets. Also, I would guess distribution reps also focus on those books coming from "known" houses. That being the case, what would the big difference in marketing and potential sales be between getting picked up by a small traditional publisher or doing it yourself (not with a self-pub company)? Again, assuming you understand it's a business and have decent knowledge or the desire to learn? In addition, small publishers are going out of business. Isn't submitting to them a risk as well?

4. Last, with regard to self-publishing not being a "stepping stone". Wouldn't an agent/editor consider it part of a platform if an author has been able to sell say a few hundred copies (beyond friends & family) of a self-pubbed book? If not, why not? If so, then wouldn't it make such efforts a valid stepping stone or way to advance beyond another author who's never done anything but write?

Thanks for all your information (and the laugh today too).

[chip responds]

My thoughts on your four points, Cheryl...
1. There's no secret formula for picking winners. (If there were, I'd be a millionaire.) But they pick right a lot of the time, and I'd rather have experienced people picking the books.
2. This is why I tell authors to be in charge of their own marketing.
3. I'm not sure what your point is. A publisher offers an advance, editing, sales channels, and marketing (to a degree), plus they pay for production. They also offer the chance of breaking out beyond what the author can hand-sell.
4. We probably begin to take notice when a self-pubbed author has sold 5k. We prefer 15-20k. Those kinds of numbers are rare indeed for a self-published book.

[Derek]

That book was also mentioned on the Caustic Cover Critic blog the other day. As a result of all this free publicity, it's now zoomed up to #67,000 on Amazon, which I reckon puts it in the top 1% of all books in print. It's also #18 in Books > Entertainment > Humor > Doctors & Medicine. This Christmas's surprise hit?

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1195150845]

Thanks, Chip. I was stumped on Christmas gifts until you posted that link. I ordered enough copies for my whole family. They need to get rid of stickiness. Bad.

[Joel Friedlander]

Chip, great post. You can tell prospective self-publishers all you want (as I tell my clients) that they need to be clear about why they are publishing, what they hope to achieve, and who they will sell their books to. However, many are intoxicated with the book-as-validating-object, and nothing will dissuade them. Oh well. My (unscientific) estimate is that just by taking the steps you outline, you will put yourself in the top 1% of all self-published books. Isn't that worth the trouble?

[Lea Ann McCombs]

So I guess the lesson here is if you can't write a book good enough to attract a legit publisher, you should focus on making it BAD enough to get such great free publicity! Maybe this Mr. Nishigaki is on to something!

Great post!

[Jennifer Flynn]

This is great. Thank you!!

It is hard to give self-published authors the hard truths about self-publishing. Many are emotionally attached to their books and find it hard to hear.

I help self-published authors promote their books and working with them has taught me about their (sometimes) unrealistic expectations for the future of their books!
Thanks
Jen Flynn
www.boostbooksales.com

[Jim]

I think it is equally a hard truth that most books (authors) who publish in the traditional sense, even with advances from publishers who haven't run out of money yet, fail to make a nickel. I would love to see the stats about the number of traditionally published books over all and the amount of money that is returned for the investment. If the truth is known, those who hit a home run, so to speak are in the percentile of nearly non existence. Point of reference, I know for a fact that the percentage of members of the Screen Actor's Guild (where you have to have a paying job to be a member) who earn more than a thousand dollars a year...is minuscule. I am starting to believe that all this diatribe over traditional publishing verses self publishing has about as much weight as most cable talk shows.

[AimeeLS]

Interesting thought Jim.

Can I get boring and suggest we all need to re-read Chip's post from October 23rd "Thinking About Careers" and figure out what we want from this and more importantly what God wants from us?

I suspect the reason the SELF pubbing issue is causing such an uproar is because so many people are so desperate to be able to say "I'm a published author" and lay their hands on an actual book to show people that income / returns / fame don't even really come into the picture.

Having a book is the not-so-new black.

Self-pubbing puts anyone in that boat in a position to do it - albeit potentially badly.

I appreciate the debate - especially from people like Chip who are trying to help us navigate these waters wisely. But in the end none of us is going to get anywhere (traditionally or otherwise) unless The Big Guy Upstairs thinks it's a good idea.

IMHO....

[Daniel Smith]

Oh, outspoken vortex-rotator, thank you for the laugh. I just had to look that one up on Amazon. Did you peek at the list of "What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?"? Here's what comes up:

* 90% buy the item featured on this page: "How to Good-bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? or Effective Way?" 4.2 out of 5 stars (45) for $15.25
* 3% buy "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!" 3.3 out of 5 stars (362) for $7.77
* 3% buy "The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning" 4.8 out of 5 stars (15) for $16.47
* 2% buy "How To Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion" 4.2 out of 5 stars (41) for $10.04

So I guess people will be rotating their vortexes to stop the immenent zombie-robot threat. Apparently, they must want our retirement paychecks.

Thanks again for the laugh!