Despite some prejudice
and erroneous assumptions, self-publishing is not an indication of failure or desperation.
Back in the “gilded age” of the late 19th
century, self-publishing was a leisure activity for rich businessmen
and politicians. They produced expensive
leather-bound, gilt-edged books for their own homes, for family and friends,
and to donate to libraries.
Edith Wharton
and other female writers self-published because
most publishers were men who favored male writers. In 1921, Wharton became the
first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for literature.
Mark Twain is said to have become his own publisher because he thought another publisher had
cheated him.
Because of sexual content and “dirty words,”
publishing houses in Britain refused to print D. H.
Lawrence’s Lady
Chatterley’s Lover. Lawrence arranged to have it printed in Italy in 1928 (allegedly, the print shop employees couldn’t read
English).
“Chatterley” was judged to be obscene in Japan in
1957 and in India in 1964. Copies were confiscated by the U.S. Post Office
until the publisher won an obscenity trial in 1959. The book
wasn’t openly published in Britain until 1960.
You can get a copy of an ordinary paperback “Chatterley” for less than a buck,
but copies of the original self-published book were offered for sale at over $30,000.
Walt Whitman’s self-published Leaves of Grass is
one of the most important collections of early American poetry. In 1855, it was printed in a
Brooklyn print shop where Whitman did some typesetting himself—perhaps because
he wanted more control than other publishers would permit. A copy of this
edition was on the market for $175,000—not bad for a
do-it-yourself book.
In the early 21st century, as it becomes
harder to make a deal with a traditional publisher, thousands of writers take advantage of economical
printing processes and publicity opportunities to publish their own work.
I’ve had deals with three traditional book
publishers.
·
One
cheated me.
·
One
tried to cheat me.
·
One
didn’t cheat me, but the book that finally came out was so unlike what I had
expected it to be, I was sorry I got involved. I also didn’t make much money and
had to wait a long time for the little money that I did get.
·
The
publisher that did cheat me did such a bad job on the
book, and it was so unlike the vision I had for it, that I refused to let my
name be printed on it.
There are lots of reasons why writers want to
self-publish. Here are some:
More control:
The author determines the title, the cover design, the page size, the number of pages,
the price, the marketing plan, the publication date—everything. You even get to write the “about the author” section and choose the promotional blurbs (endorsements)
that go on the cover. You are the boss and can’t be fired. There is a downside
to all of this control, however. If your book is ugly or filled with mistakes,
you have no one to blame but yourself! Even if you hire people to help, you are the ultimate designer, editor, fact-checker and proofreader.
Personal attention:
At a big publishing house, a new book from an unknown author may get little or no attention from a sales force which
is responsible for dozens or hundreds of books. A self-publishing author can concentrate on one book. She can
work as hard as she wants to in promoting the book to the public, booksellers, the media and book reviewers.
Complete freedom: Self-publishing allows authors to write about anything, without needing approval from
anyone. (Self-publishing companies may refuse to publish books they consider
obscene or libelous.) There’s also freedom to
ignore publishing traditions if the author wants to try something new.
Fun:
Many people who could afford to pay for an oil change like to work on their own
cars. Many people who could buy beer or wine or pizza like to experiment with
their own special formulas. Lots of people who can buy food, like to grow vegetables
or go fishing. Do-it-yourself seems to be a common human urge, and now it is
possible with publishing. My first book was published by Doubleday in 1976. I’m much prouder of the books I’ve
published myself—and they were a lot more fun to work on.
Niche marketing: Because of personal, professional or business
connections, a writer may feel she or he is better able to market books to a
specific group of potential customers than a traditional publisher could reach
through traditional sellers.
Speed:
With conventional publishing, it can take years to find an agent and a
publisher. With independent self-publishing, a book can be selling a week
after it is written. If you use a self-publishing company, it usually takes a few months.
Durability:
The author determines how long a book remains on the
market.
Keeping the book current:
The author determines when a new edition should be published.
Regular income: With conventional “trade”
publishing, royalty checks (if there are any) arrive twice a year.
With self-publishing, money can come in every day,
week, month, or every three or six months—depending on the sales channels.
Higher income: Book royalties from traditional publishers pay about 8% of
the cover price. Self-published authors can make more money, even
from books that sell for lower prices. (You may make more money per book if you are an independent
self-publisher than if you use a self-publishing company.)
Rejection:
Most books submitted to traditional publishers are rejected. Major publishers
want books that are bought in the tens of thousands, but their judgment is not
perfect. Most books do not become bestsellers, and in a few months they’re sold
on the buck-a-book tables. Aside from bad writing, there are other reasons why
a book may be rejected—such as an unknown author, a subject’s limited appeal, a
too-controversial subject, an abundance of other books on the subject or the
inappropriateness of the book for a particular publisher. Rejection doesn’t mean that a
book shouldn’t be published at all.
Keeping an old book in
print: At some
time, the sales volume of almost every book drops to the level
where its publisher decides to discontinue it. It becomes
“out-of-print.” If that has happened to a book you wrote, you may be able to
negotiate a deal with the original publisher to return the rights to you so you
can republish it yourself.
Chance of attracting a traditional publisher: According to the New York Times,
“Louise Burke, publisher of Pocket Books, said publishers now trawl for
new material by looking at reader comments about self-published books sold online.
Self-publishing, she
said, is no longer a dirty word.” At least one book from a
self-publishing company was later
reissued by a mainstream publisher and got on the New York Times Bestseller List. While dreaming of writing a
bestseller is a
pleasant diversion, and perhaps a good motivator to write a
high-quality book, it should not be your prime objective.
Some of the reasons above are my reasons. I established Silver Sands Books to publish one book in
the fall of 2008. In less than one year, I had published four books, started
three others, and had more on my to-do list.
Writing
and publishing are addictive. The more
you do it, the more you want to do it. The investment is low and the potential
rewards are high.