Note: For an updated version of the information below, download Self-Publishing Basic Training for FREE (you’ll also get some nifty extras)!

We’re a week into our series on Self-Publishing Basic Training and if you’re following along at home, that means we’ve reached the point where your book is planned, written, edited and ready to go.

So…now what?

Well, now we’re going to count up reasons, tips and details to consider when you decide how you want to go about publishing your book: self-publishing or traditional publishing.

REASONS

photo by koalazymonkey

As we discussed in our first post of the series, we understand that most writers start the process with the intention of going the traditional publishing route. It is the established path to success for most authors, but it’s not the only way to do things.

4 Reasons to Self-Publish

1. Your target market is too small for traditional publishing. Sometimes you can have a great, well written book with a specific target market, but that market is too small for a traditional publisher (even a small one) to make an investment. Whether your book is fan fiction or a very specialized research text, if you have a well planned marketing plan and money for the upfront costs, self-publishing is a way for you to reach your customer market and still achieve success without the backing of a traditional publisher.
2. You want to build your fan base and earn some money while waiting for a traditional publishing opportunity. Literary agents and traditional publishers want to see that an author has a group of established followers to bring to the table before they commit to an investment. A great way to build up this following is through self-publishing. Release a first edition of your book and market yourself online to generate a fan following who can help you make a convincing argument to an agent or publisher that you’ve got what it takes to succeed.
3. You need to promote your business with a published book. Small businesses need to use a variety of promotional tools to get their name out there and show potential customers that they have the expertise to get the job done. Whether you are a caterer with a cookbook or a C.P.A. with a personal finance book, self-publishing is a great way to do all of the above while also creating a new revenue stream for your business.
4. You want more control and more profit share from your book. Traditional publishing has a lot of positives, but while you might be able to sell a greater volume of books via the traditional route, self-publishing will award you a much higher profit share and more control over your work. Aside from printing costs, recurring fees (distribution, shipping, etc.) and the percentages taken by some of the larger self-publishing houses, you get to keep the profits. As an added bonus, you also get more control over the presentation and marketing of your book.

TIPS

Once you’ve decided to go the self-publishing route, you’ll want to begin conducting research on which self-publishing company is right for you. It’s a daunting task—there are dozens of self-publishers* small and large accessible by the web (Duolit included!). How do you know what criteria to grade them on? We’ve got five tips for getting you pointed in the right direction and tomorrow we’ll have six more details that are critical to picking the best self-publisher.

5 Tips for Comparing Self-Publishers

1. Know your rights! The absolute most critical question when considering a self-publisher is this: Do you maintain the rights to your work? In most cases, you do, but you should always ask and get a definitive answer before turning your project over to someone else.

photo by fotophant

1. Time is money. How long will it take for your book to be published and distributed? Most print-on-demand publishers can have your book available for ordering in days, but to get it on distribution lists and available at major online stores can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
2. More is not always better. Are you forced into buying a package even if you don’t need all the included services? If you have a friend who can design a great cover for your book (like I did—thanks Toni!) then you won’t want to pay for that service in a package deal. Look around for a publisher who can offer individual services instead of or in addition to packages.
3. Ease of communication. Do you have an assigned representative to contact? Are you easily able to call or e-mail someone directly about your project? The main reason why I decided not to use Lulu.com again for my second round of publishing was because they changed a lot of their communication processes. Go on any self-publisher’s website and see how many clicks it takes to find a phone number and e-mail address to contact. It’s also an asset to have one specific person who will help you through the process instead of getting a different employee every time you have a question.
4. Conduct some reputation research. Google the name of a self-publishing company followed by “sucks” and see what kind of results come up. Of course, you have to take the negative stuff with a grain a salt (because people are less likely to go online and rave about a good service than they are to publicize a negative experience), but it’s good to know what negative experiences some people have had to avoid the same pitfalls.

* Yeah, we know the correct term is “POD Printer” or “self-publishing service” but “self-publisher” has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

RESOURCES

Last but certainly not least, we’ve put together a few recommended resources for finding more information about self-publishing:

• Book: The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Sue Collier and Marilyn Ross
• Book: Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents 2011
• Article: Dog Ear Publishing Comparison of Self-Publishers

Tomorrow we will unveil our six details to consider when self-publishing plus a few more resources and references for making your big decisions. Wednesday we are going to talk a little bit about design, then we will wrap up on Thursday with tips for marketing your self-published book.

As always, please feel free to share your own self-publishing experiences, questions and more in our comments section below.

Later days,

Shannon

This post is part of our Self-Publishing Basics series. Don’t miss a post — subscribe to our RSS feedor receive posts via e-mail.