5 Fantastic Benefits of Self Publishing
Benefit #3 (No Waiting. No Rejection.)
For those of you just tuning in, this is the second installment of this illustrious blog series entitled
5 Fantastic Benefits of Self Publishing
written out of a sense of duty and actual love for first time authors, according to many years of experience as an author, book editor, and publisher. I’m a bit crusty but quite well-meaning, and I want to save you time and tears. So here I go again . . .
Benefit #3: No Waiting. No Rejection.
The Cinderella story of a little book by an unknown author that gets discovered by a publisher and becomes an overnight bestseller is mostly just that – a fairytale. Yes, it happens. Like, when the stars align in the shape of an Appalachian rabbit’s left knuckle. Seriously, it just hasn’t been happening lately.
In the current publishing climate, with major houses paying gigantic advances to celebrity authors – the Cash Cow Club – not much is left to spend on developing new talent. Let’s be honest: a publisher isn’t going to spend its tall stack of shiny dimes marketing a book written by someone nobody’s heard of, no matter how brilliant it is. Even for your book to be considered, you’ll need to have amassed no less than a national following in your field of expertise, as well as an extremely well-planned marketing strategy which you intend to implement at your own expense!
Such is the putrid truth nowadays in every genre from children’s books to alternative health to historical novels. First time authors are being turned away en masse, with nary a glance at their wares. And since nonfiction books can be particularly time-sensitive, trend-focused as they so often are (and therefore, to borrow a phrase from Hart Crane, “as liable to melt as snow”) authors frequently while away their precious window of publishing opportunity enduring increasingly frustrating rounds of disappointment, usually at the end of a very long wait for an agent or editor to respond to their proposal. It’s not that I despise agents and acquisitions editors; it’s just that I’ve seen the piles on their desks, and I’ve seen the pile on the floor that they affectionately refer to as “the slush.” It isn’t impossible to get a major publishing house interested in a book by a first-time author, but it’s getting more difficult all the time.
Self publishing (and again, I prefer the term “independent publishing,” which is blissfully free of the negative connotations which have attached themselves to the “self” term) removes the wait – as well as the accompanying weight from your shoulders. Publishing on your own means giving up the frustration of rejection and getting on with the business of getting your book into the hands of readers.
Why wait? And why bother wading through a mountain of rejections?
Stay tuned.
Next blog I’ll tell you all about Fantastic Benefit #4. Yet another doozy.
And may I suggest subscribing?
Go ahead. Click on the RSS feed!
A graduate of the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Ceci Miller is also the author of two published children’s picture books, and former contributing editor for Darshan, an international magazine. A student of yoga and meditation since 1976, Ceci leads seminars that explore language as a vehicle for personal transformation. Based on her book Sacred Visitations, and the popular book she co-authored with John Lee, Writing from the Body, Ceci’s work (both with CeciBooks authors and in public programs) blends writing, intuitive guidance, and contemplative practices that connect right brain creativity with your true intention.
Book Publishing without Pain – Part 2 of 5. Fantastic Benefits of Self Publishing
Benefit #2 (Money)
For those of you just tuning in, this is the second installment of this illustrious blog series entitled
5 Fantastic Benefits of Self Publishing
written out of a sense of duty and actual love for first time authors, according to many years of experience as an author, book editor, and publisher. I’m a bit crusty but quite well-meaning, and I want to save you time and tears. So here I go again . . .
Fantastic Benefit #2: Money.
Why does it make good business sense to self-publish? Consider the following: a conctract with the book publisher doesn’t give you an ironclad guarantee that your book will ever end up on the shelves. At all. Anywhere. They may love your book now, but they’re entitled to change their minds. “Oops, we’re not going to be publishing it after all. We’ll just keep it in our files. That’s all right with you, isn’t it?”
If you’re a new author, and your publisher does follow through and a book is born, your publisher will allocate zero marketing dollars to promote your book. It’s sink or swim. If your book does sell well, it will be due, without a doubt, to your own hard work and ingenuity – and your reward will be a tiny fraction of the book’s total profits.
Self-publishing (actually I prefer the term “independent publishing” to escape negative connotations) can involve a bit more risk, but it also means that the extensive marketing footwork you do will go to producing income for the person who most deserves it. After all, you’re the one doing all the work to ignite buzz about your book. Not only that, you wrote it! Don’t you deserve to reap 100% of the profit? Maybe I’m old-fashioned . . .
Seriously, it makes sense, doesn’t it? One of the greatest perks I get from collaborating with authors is seeing our independently published books create more reader excitement and interest than their traditionally published counterparts. Not that I’m competitive or anything. Competition is for wimps.
Stay tuned.
Next blog I’ll be spilling the beans about Fantastic Benefit #3, and boy, is it a doozy.
And may I suggest subscribing?
Go ahead. Click on the RSS feed!
Ceci Miller owns CeciBooks, an editorial and book publishing consultancy that empowers authors to write, publish, and market irresistible books that uplift and inspire. Ceci has written, co-authored, and edited books with bestselling authors and experts since 1988. See new and popular book projects. Also . . . Find expert information on writing, publishing, and marketing a book in CeciBooks Chats (Getting Started series is FREE).A graduate of the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Ceci Miller is also the author of two published children’s picture books, and former contributing editor for Darshan, an international magazine. A student of yoga and meditation since 1976, Ceci leads seminars that explore language as a vehicle for personal transformation. Based on her book Sacred Visitations, and the popular book she co-authored with John Lee, Writing from the Body, Ceci’s work (both with CeciBooks authors and in public programs) blends writing, intuitive guidance, and contemplative practices that connect right brain creativity with your true intention.
I’ve edited and co-authored books with bestselling authors for over 20 years, books written for major publishing houses with big names and big distribution systems. So why, when I meet an author with a great book concept, do I often encourage him or her to self-publish? Why don’t I send them off to an agent first? Or connect them with one of the acquisitions editors I’ve met in my publishing travels?
Why do I point them toward independent publishing? Because spending their precious time convincing a publisher of your book’s worth is often time they don’t have to waste. In this fast-paced world in which the first book out of the gate with a fresh idea wins the bestseller readership, taking 2-3 years to bring out your book could mean its hoped-for position in the market is snapped up before it ever hits the shelves. So I encourage authors with great book ideas to take a serious look at self-publishing. Because I know that, if they’re thoroughly invested in what they have to say, and if they’re determined to create buzz around their book and their message, those authors are perfectly situated to discover . . .
5 Fantastic Benefits of Self-publishing
Benefit #1: Control.
When you enter into a contract with a major publishing house, youíre signing an exclusive agreement that prevents your having input into most of the important decisions that will affect your bookís perception by the public, and its sales. Youíll have very little say about the look and feel of your book cover, the endorsements that appear on the back of your book, or the wording of your press release, for example. And since all of the above elements are critical to giving your book its best chance for bestseller status, such loss of control can pose significant problems. ìBut donít publishers know better than I what to do to sell a book?î you may ask. Not necessarily. Authors usually know more about their bookís subjectóand hence, about their target audience (market)óthan anyone else. Hey, they wrote the book!
More food for thought about signing with a major publishing house: If for some reason your book doesnít sell quickly and the publisher lets it go out of print, thereís often a ìwaiting periodî before the author is allowed to self-publish the book to get it back on the shelves. In the meantime, the reading public sees that your book is ìout of printî and a great deal of word-of-mouth damage is done. Self-publishing means that you are at the helm of your book project. Of course, it also means that the responsibility for its success rests in your hands. But when you believe in your message and know that youíre going to do everything in your power to get that message out to your target audience, isnít it a good feeling to know that youíre the one driving its success in the marketplace?
I suggest a balance of control and delegation. The right publishing ally can coach you through the process of writing and editing your book, and will also advise you to design and market your message in a way that gets optimum results. Your publishing ally may be a book editor, a publishing consultant, a published author, or all three. If sheís worth her salt, though, sheíll know what it will take to get your book published, and sheíll know how to help you make it happen. Reputable help can be found in Literary Market Place (online or in your local library). LMP is the publishing industryís by-nomination-only directoriesññhere youíll find book editors and publishing consultants with a proven track record.
(Stay tuned . . . In the next blog, I’ll tell you all about Benefit #2. Make sure you don’t miss anything important, subscribe to my RSS feed.)
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