Publish

[Donald Adams]

Is self publishing a good way to get your book out there? I tried to find agents figuring that a publisher would be difficult to find and discovered that agents were harder to find. What was left as an option was self publish . Any ideas?

[Donald Adams]

Thank you Richard, I fully intend to market the book and my philosophy is if you put 100% into something you will get back that and more.  You only get what you put in.  I despise the saying "nothing ventured, nothing gained.  That is a cliche that people use that have no drive to accomplish anything.  I believe that most of us have talent and need to find that niche, but few actually discover their niche and actively pursue it to reap its accomplishment.

[Jeff Mariotte]

What Richard said.

 

I've had 46 novels published (plus some nonfiction books, some short fiction, more than 130 comic books/graphic novels, etc.). Most of those were from the major houses--Penguin, S&S, HarperCollins, Warner, and the like. I was making a living as an author, and enjoying it quite a bit. (Incidentally, I'm also a bookstore owner and have worked in publishing in various capacities, including marketing and editorial.)

 

But lately the business has been changing--the economic situation, combined with the rise of the e-book, has been hitting it hard. My agent has been out with a novel that has earned exceptional praise from editors and other heavyweight authors--only the praise from editors is always followed by the "but" sentence that explains why they can't buy it. I haven't given up on traditional publishing, but I have started looking at self-publishing and smaller presses as alternatives.

So far, I have self published as e-books:

The Slab, a reprint of a small press trade paperback horror epic (my only small press book to date). This book got some amazing reviews, but had very little distribution, and at $16.99 it was expensive. The e-book is only $2.99.

The Devil's Bait, my first original e-book thriller for adults. I'm currently in negotiations with a small press for a print version. Terrific blurb from e-book bestseller J. Carson Black (it's on the linked Amazon page so I won't repeat the whole thing here).

 

Nine Frights, a collection of horror short stories, some previously published and others brand new.

 

Carnival Summer, a teen paranormal/horror/romance/thriller.

 

My success with these has been very limited so far--many more people have read my worst-selling print books than have bought any of these. But this is all new to me, and I'm still getting the word out there. I'm hoping that as I do more e-books, they'll start to pick up steam.

 

So again, what Richard said. You can definitely get your book out there as a self-publisher. Whether or not you'll be successful depends on your goals, your definition of success, and your ability to promote and promote and promote. And then promote some more.

[Jeff Mariotte]

Thanks, RYCJ. If you're not up for horror you might try The Devil's Bait--purely a suspenseful thriller, with no horror to it.

 

Jeff

[Jeff Mariotte]

Thanks again--hope you enjoy it!

[Kristi Bernard]

I plan to self publish my first children's book. I am starting a company with other writers and we will be launching our site in October 2011. We will provide editing, design and promotion for authors who are ready to get the word out.

[Donald Adams]

How will this affect new struggling authors?  I assume that since this is a business there will be charges, how will this help new writers that are limited in finances?

[Felicity Pulman]

Having just published two novels through createspace I've read this forum with great interest. My reason: four novels of a 6-novel series, The Janna Mysteries, were published by Random House Australia who then declined to publish the last two. I needed to finish Janna's quest, and I was hounded by fans of the series wanting to know what happens next. Self-pub was the only option, and Createspace have done a fantastic job.  (See the books on my website: www.felicitypulman.com.au or the whole series is on sale through amazon as paperbacks and as e-books (kindle). I'm currently working with the createspace team to devise a VBT to publicise them, plus thinking of other ways and means. Because you're right, it's your responsibility to publicise your books - it always is, whether you're with a mainstream publisher or not. I guess joining blogs like these is one way to go about it.  I have yet to conquer twitter but I do have a presence on fb. Also investigating such things as bookmarks, biz cards and other giveaways.  Any other suggestions gratefully received! But as for the publishing process - yes, it's easier if you can find a publisher to nurture your mss, make all the decisions plus send it out into the world on your behalf.  But this way is also very rewarding, as I've discovered.  But I do agree with a previous comment that having your book professionally edited before publication is a MUST.

[Michelle Isenhoff]

After collecting manuscripts for years, this spring I self-published three on Lulu, Smashwords and Kindle.  They are all YA/middle grade American historical fiction.  It's been a great experience, but self-promotion is tough for someone who'd much rather just write.  And I'm finding the YA ebook market may be a little tougher to break into than adult markets, as kids don't always have ereaders.  But that may just be an impression.  At any rate, seeing my work in print has been incredibly rewarding.

http://www.michelleisenhoff.com

http://www.michelleisenhoff.wordpress.com

 

[William Bentrim]

CreateSpace has been good for me.   I've got 8 children's books and while I'm hardly getting rich, they are selling.   The  comment about getting an editor is important.  I am rewriting my chapter books after finding a good editor.  Self promotion is difficult but if you have a need to get your work out there, self publishing does work.  

My books are all on Amazon and can be seen there or at my website. www.bentrim.info

 

[Paul D. Dail]

I would be curious to hear from those of you who are using CreateSpace.  I'm still waiting on my designer for my cover, but have heard some interesting things about the ProPlan through them (essentially paying a fee--- $40?--- in return for higher royalties and cheaper author copies) as opposed to their regular free plan.

 

Can anyone speak to this? I may also post this under the main forum.  It sounds like Donald knows what he wants to do next.

 

Paul D. Dail

www.pauldail.com- A horror writer's not necessarily horrific blog

[William Bentrim]

I've used the proplan with each book.  In my case I made the assumption that I would sell at least 15 books. The increased royalty would then be covered.  This made my decision very easy and  with most of my books it has proved to be a good decision.

[Denise Daisy]

Donald, I sought representation for a year and a half. I got thrilled at the many request for partials and fulls. I kept my fingers crossed only to receive rejection after rejection. They were very nice and flattering however a rejection is a rejection no matter how sweet the letter.  I decided I would let the public decide if my story would be a seller or not. I put my book on Amazon  in early May as an ebook. In three months time it has sold right at 1,000 copies and it is climbing fast on the charts. At the rate it is going it should hit Number one by October! I have received great 5 star reviews from people all over the nation who I have never met but are loving my story and so many request for it to come out in  print. I have decided to put it in print and save the 20% agent fee :)

If you believe in your work and feel others would benefit from your story then put it out there as an ebook first and see what happens.