THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED?

By Writer X

A few posts back, a Commentarama reader asked about self-publishing versus traditional publishing. While I don’t have much experience with self-publishing, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that a part of me regularly dreams of chucking the hassles of traditional publishing and skipping down the road less traveled. Self-publishing offers an author more control of her manuscript, larger royalties, no agents, no picky editors, publishing what she wants, when she wants it. What’s not to like? Sign me up!

Not so fast.

Even so, more authors are flocking to self-publishing for a variety of reasons, making it less like the road less traveled and more like the interstate at rush hour, especially when you look at the growing number of small and self-publishing presses compared to only a handful of traditional publishing companies. And I can’t blame anyone for refusing to go through the traditional hoops of finding a literary agent, an editor, and then finally building a fan base only to deal with various levels of rejection along the way. I call it the 1-10 Pain Scale, like when you’re in the hospital emergency room for a gash in your hand (true story) and the nurse asks you, “How would you rate the pain on a scale from one to ten?” The pain in my hand was a -1 compared to the 10++ pain I’ve experienced over the years. And still do.

Here’s the little I do know about self-publishing:

1. There are lots of companies from which to choose: AuthorHouse, Booksurge, iUniverse, Lulu, PublishAmerica, Outskirts Press, Trafford, Tate. There are lots more but these are some of the publishers—also called vanity presses or Print-on-Demand (POD)— that advertise regularly in writers’ magazines that I read. They vary in size, cost, and available networks with which to sell your book. Some have direct links to Amazon and intricate domestic and international distribution channels. Very cool. As an aside, I also know several authors who’ve started their own small publishing companies to publish their works, using a third company to produce the books, and then hit the road to sell them.

2. All of the companies listed above offer publishing packages and a là carte services, depending on how much or how little you need and wish to spend—e.g. securing the ISBN number, cover design, editing services, book promotion, book quality (hard cover versus paperback). Their prices are all over the place, from nominal to thousands of dollars.

3. Some publishers like Lulu even let you publish e-books only and promote your book on its site. Not too shabby! And very cheap.

4. You set the price of your book allowing, of course, for the publisher’s take. You earn much more per book (the royalty) than you would with a traditional publisher; however, you’re 100% responsible for the promotion of your book.

5. Some best-selling fiction and non-fiction authors went the self-publishing route and found fame and fortune after having been rejected by traditional publishers. Examples: THE SHACK, ERAGON, and even those CHICKEN SOUP folksy books. I ask you: Is there a CHICKEN SOUP for someone’s soul that hasn’t been written??

6. You can publish your book TODAY. How cool is that? Very tempting!

7. There are a few literary agents (out of hundreds) who don’t mind if you’ve self-published before you’ve opted to go the traditional route. These mostly technically savvy agents are still the exception, however. For some reason, most agents still equate self-publishing with failure. In other words, their thinking is that if your writing is good, you should be able to find an agent and sell a book to which I say: If only it were so simple. Not all good writers are good at self-promotion. It takes self-promotion to find an agent in the first place! But self-promotion is a critical part of an author’s overall success, too. It’s a Catch-22. We must like it or lump it.

8. Despite the allure, the odds of success are still not in favor of the self-published author. As an example, according to a January 2009 New York Times article, AuthorHouse reported selling more than 2.5 million books in 2008–which sounds like a lot, but averages out to around 41 sales per title. In other words: Don’t quit your day job. Certainly, though, some self-published authors do better than others.

9. There are no $$ advances given to authors who choose the self-publishing route.

Personally, I do believe that self-publishing will continue to gain popularity especially as authors and readers demand faster time to publication and more people opt for e-books instead of hardcovers and paperbacks. Consumers will benefit from more reading choices—perhaps even too much choice. That said, traditional publishing may go the way of the dinosaur but don’t expect traditional publishers to go quietly. They are starting to dip their toes, reluctantly, into the e-book waters but there are still plenty of consumers like me who still haven’t warmed up to the idea of reading books on a computer screen the size of an index card.

I also think that self-publishing, particularly for non-fiction authors with a sizeable audience, is actually a very good idea. Because of the content of your book, it might be beneficial to publish sooner rather than later if your idea/book might become stale in another year or two. From that perspective, it might make better business sense to self-publish.

Before you decide to self-publish, talk to people who’ve done it. Visit message boards and blogs. Compare the different companies, their costs, tools, and reputations. Don’t simply be swayed by the flashy web sites or eager online salespeople, touting only the advantages of self-publishing. A few additional things to consider: How many books do you have to sell before you can break even on your investment? Are you willing to pound the pavement and visit bookstores, schools, and libraries in your state? Across the country? What about selling internationally? Will it makes sense for you to hire a publicist to help with promotion?

I think self-publishing and traditional publishing are both exciting. Yet both come with headaches. I suppose it just depends on which headache you find less painful.

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Is there something specific you’d like to see covered in the Commentarama writing series? Don’t hesitate to leave a request with your comment, email Commentarama, or email me directly at writerx@cox.net. All G-rated requests will be considered. All X-rated requests will be forwarded to flag@whitehouse.gov.