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Nov 10, 2009
This is something of a hot topic among writers now. Changes in the industry combined with our sagging economy have caused traditional publishing houses to cut back on the number of books they publish per year. Naturally, that mean fewer writers are getting their books accepted for publication.
Many are opting to self publish. This means that they take complete control of their book. They write, edit, design and print, owning the entire process themselves. It's an intriguing notion for several reasons.
1. You don't have to make changes to please an editor.
2. You have full control of the final product.
3. You make more money on each book sold.
4. You decide how many copies to print and when.
The down side of self publishing is what is keeping me from jumping on this band wagon. In short, you're on your own. In some respects that sounds good, but on the other hand...
1. You have no editor to review and help polish your manuscript.
2. You have no publishing house to help with distribution.
3. You have no marketing department to help with promotion.
4. You have no "name brand" to add credibility to your book.
5. You pay all the costs, everything, with no money coming 'up front' to help.
I can see self publishing working in some genres better than others and I can see it working for people who don't have a "day job" or two. But I don't see it working for me, not at this time, not as it is happening now. It will be interesting to see what changes are coming down the pike with e-books and such. For now... I just need to write!
Many are opting to self publish. This means that they take complete control of their book. They write, edit, design and print, owning the entire process themselves. It's an intriguing notion for several reasons.
1. You don't have to make changes to please an editor.
2. You have full control of the final product.
3. You make more money on each book sold.
4. You decide how many copies to print and when.
The down side of self publishing is what is keeping me from jumping on this band wagon. In short, you're on your own. In some respects that sounds good, but on the other hand...
1. You have no editor to review and help polish your manuscript.
2. You have no publishing house to help with distribution.
3. You have no marketing department to help with promotion.
4. You have no "name brand" to add credibility to your book.
5. You pay all the costs, everything, with no money coming 'up front' to help.
I can see self publishing working in some genres better than others and I can see it working for people who don't have a "day job" or two. But I don't see it working for me, not at this time, not as it is happening now. It will be interesting to see what changes are coming down the pike with e-books and such. For now... I just need to write!
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2 comments:
Good analysis of the pros and cons of self-publishing.
I have self-published a book, but for free, not for money. It is available on the web for free download (link in my blog if you are curious). But I have never tried to publish anything for profit.
The two biggest drawbacks for me are the ones you mentioned. It takes an investment of money to do it and there is no one to help you market it. It becomes like a risky investment. Still, I continue to toy with the idea.
Pegg, You pretty much laid it all out there! It is more than a difficult market, but next to impossible for new writers or those fairly unknowns who have a small group interested in their work. I guess the bottomline is still MONEY, not passion, not premise or design. Publishers want to make money and an entrepreneur's need it to step into this kind of venture. I guess I will just pray and wait and then pray some more. The Lord will tell me what to do with his work. Terrie
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