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September 7, 2011

What’s Your Self-Publishing Endgame? [Discussion]

You can’t deny it — everywhere you look, love for indie authors is growing. Some authors get into self-publishing to give readers choices outside of traditional big publishing, while others self-publish to bide their time before receiving that elusive traditional publishing contract. So, we want to know: where do you stand? Tell us:

  • What’s your self-publishing endgame? Are you building a name for yourself through self-publishing while waiting for a traditional publishing deal, or are you sticking to the indie path permanently?
  • Has your view on self-publishing versus traditional publishing changed as your publishing experience has evolved?
  • How do you feel about self-pubbers who have gone on to receive traditional publishing contracts? Is this evidence of the relavence of self-publishing or are these authors “selling out?”
  • What advice would you give to other indie authors struggling to define their publishing path and goals?

Please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions and mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input!

What do you think?

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  • I’d love to be able to, as they say, “have the best of both worlds.” I want to self-publish my fantasy fiction and traditionally publish my young adult fiction. I like the control and immediacy of self-publishing, but I know my young adult novels will find more readers if I go traditional. They’re also more marketable.

    I don’t really have much experience yet so I don’t have much advice, but my views are changing a lot as time goes on. I really see the benefits and downfalls of both avenues of publishing.

    I think it’s great when self-published authors get a traditional deal. It’s frustrating that people think they’re “selling out.” They’re writers and they still get to write. They’re just putting their books out with different methods.

  • I did a year of submitting to agents, rewriting query letters, freaking out about the process of finding an agent so I could find an editor so I could find a publisher so I could find an audience. I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember, but you know what I never wanted to do? Enter the publishing game. Give up all the rights to my story and characters. Have little say in cover art and marketing choices.

    Self-publishing changed all that, and now I’m excited to release my book in December, the way I want to, to succeed or fail on its own merits. In self-pub, there’s no cover artist/editor/marketing staff to blame if your book doesn’t sell. There’s only you and the audience and your craft. Its the way things should be and I love it!

  • I’ve always wanted to self-publish, but the prices for those vanity publishing schemes before the internet always kept me from doing so. When technology finally caught up with what I wanted to do, at first I did Iuniverse for my paperback, which was a complete waste of money and kind of stupid of me to do, but it did introduce me to the Kindle and ebooks before it was well known. With my other paperback novels, I found out about Createspace, and have used it for the last 2 1/2 years since its free to upload your works. Nowadays, my ebooks are on Smashwords, Nook, and Kindle that I uploaded myself, and I’m 99% sure I’m not going to ever do the traditional route.

    I think if you self-pubbed and went to the traditional publishers, that’s something you have to decide for yourself, and I don’t think its selling out. Personally, I prefer staying in control of my own work, even if I struggle from time to time, but I get to control every aspect of it from book design, cover, promoting, etc.

    My only advice is to be patient.

  • I was published for several years and it was like pulling teeth, lol. I didn’t like the covers, the genres they decided on, I thought they were over priced and I felt guilty asking people to pay so much for a book. I started self-publishing at the same time and my self-pubbed books outsold the published ones by 10x. It took a while to get the rights returned and in that time I took down my books, walked away from writing for a bit and now I self-published magical adventures to do with dogs and other animals. I just love writing. My end game is to keep writing fun books until I run out of things to say, lol. I won’t ever go down the publishing route again, as in this day and age I don’t think I need to. My young adult book has been out four weeks and already been in the Kindle U.S bestseller list several times. What would a publisher offer me? I have good covers, good edits, low price, growing fan base and these days I just see publishers as a negative.

  • * What’s your self-publishing endgame?

    I want to be able to produce the kind of stories I want to read as my “day job.” I’ll use whatever route(s) best help me do that.

    * Has your view on self-publishing versus traditional publishing changed as your publishing experience has evolved?

    No.

    * How do you feel about self-pubbers who have gone on to receive traditional publishing contracts?

    Smart folks. They’re reaching for their goals.

    * What advice would you give to other indie authors struggling to define their publishing path and goals?

    Know what’s important to you, how important those things are, and on what points you’re willing to cave.

    If you can’t figure out your goals, try researching different folks who have followed the “give away”/”self publish”/”traditional publish” methods. Find out why they decided to do what they did.

    It’s okay if your goals change later. But, right now, what is the most important thing you want to do with your writing? Reach as many print readers as possible? Reach as many e-readers as possible? Your answer will influence what you do.

    Also, it helps to think like an entrepreneur. The entrepreneurs I’ve known have said that the standard rule of thumb is that businesses don’t start earning money until the 5th year. Sure, there are exceptions. The entrepreneurs I’ve known make themselves exceptions. But any kind of publishing is a long-term investment, so make sure you bear that in mind when evaluating things.

  • In five years, I predict publishing will be like the film industry. “Indy” publishing will be like Indy films – producing small, insightful stories that the major players don’t think can make money. If authors or stories hit it big, the publishers will make an offer.

    In the spring, I created Oermead Press and put out a collection of short stories, Elephant. I was nervous but the thought of searching for an agent, and then a publisher just didn’t appeal to me. It appeared to be a slow waiting game. Now, in the past two months, I’ve been asked to speak to two writers groups and a conference about “the new self-publishing.” My book is the September book club book for one of our local libraries. People like my writing, but my stories aren’t broad enough for the major publishers. And that’s okay!

    Now I’m trying something totally different! My latest nano-publishing project is an anthology of thirteen writers called Chester County Fiction. Local serious fiction writers each contributed short stories. Our book launch is October 2nd and the book will be sold in the independent book shops in our region. We have had so much fun. You can read more about our launch here. https://bit.ly/odKYpg

    Will I ever submit a story to an agent or major publisher? Maybe someday, though it seems less likely as time passes.

  • I have one book that is under contract with an agent, have self published one book as a giveaway and am in the process of self-publishing a children’s novel. It is scary to self-publish, especially for the first time. But, my one year contract with my agent is almost up and all she has offered me were other on-line publishers. Why would I give them so much when I can do what they do myself?
    If Random house, or Penguin offered me a contract tomorrow, would I turn it down? Heck no!! Especially if it came with an advance, but am I gonna break my neck and waste my money on submitting to other agents who might be able to get me a publisher after my book has been languishing for a year? Nope. I will self-pub that one too. I have been working from home as a writer for about a year now and the money is getting tight. If I can do the publishing myself and produce quality content, why should I pay someone else to do it for me? It takes a lot of time, a lot of energy and some very generous folks to give you an outside perspective, but at least I know it is going to happen. Will I submit all of my future books to agents? Meh… don’t know yet. It might give me more time to write than I currently have.

  • My endgame is to have readers enjoy my books. That’s it. It would be nice if they made money but that’s not the reason I write.
    I chose to self publish my novels as ebooks. I did a post on why I went this route recently. There is a link below if you want to see it but my reasons boil down to five categories, which I won’t elaborate on here.

    1: I’m unknown as a fiction writer.
    2: Self publishing is easy.
    3: The popularity of ebooks is growing.
    4: With self publishing, authors can choose what compromises to make and what ones not to.
    5: Self published ebooks can be the best bargain available for readers.

    Here is a link to the blog post I referred to where I explain each of these a bit more:
    https://dlmorrese.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/why-i-chose-to-self-publish/

  • This is a great series of questions – I wrote about some of them in my third ever blog post explaining why I went indie.

    The short answer to most of these questions is, I don’t know. I started out in the traditional MFA-get an agent-hope to sell to a pub. house route. I didn’t sell my book, but after seeing so many make the choice to go indie, I dove in. I have so far loved the process, the work, the control, etc. But I want to be cautious and to be flexible and to not burn any bridges. There are advantages to both routes and I think we have so much yet to see – publishing houses will adapt, and perhaps another new system will emerge. Right now I envision being indie for some time but who knows? I want to write literary, YA, and paranormal, so for me personally the indie route offers a lot of flexibility.

    I definitely can say that I see self-pubbing as a legitimate choice, whereas I didn’t always see it that way. To do it “right” (which really means doing it well, no matter what the outcome) is a HUGE amount of work.

    As for those who go on to sign deals, good for them! They are doing what is right for them, their careers, and their readers. If not, they wouldn’t sign.

    Finally, for those going this route, recognize that this will be hugely anxiety-producing. It will be a lot of work. Commit to it, ask for help, and above all, forge your own path.

  • My approach is that I would welcome a publisher as a partner in bringing my books to an audience. Shares of proceeds would be divided on that basis–between partners in an enterprise.
    However, my experience has not allowed that to happen. I sent my proposals and sample chapters to several publishers and agents in Canada and the US; no one even looked at them. So I don’t feel that my novel fails in any way–publishers and agents cannot judge the book, because they did not read it.
    The commercial publishing industry is in a great transition brought about by new technology, bad general economics and gloablization – and by its unintended consequences: more competition from growing economies.
    Anyway, that’s another debate. The big publishers are making money from a smaller and smaller group of established writers. The only new writers getting into that industry are celebrities in some way.
    So, I am entering the independent publishing world. I think that authors who self-publish should be recognized as independent authors or independent publishers, just as we recognize and respect independent musicians and filmmakers. No one says that Arcade Fire just isn’t good enough for a big label, do they?
    In the future, I would welcome a partnership with a commerical publisher, but as I said, on a partnership basis.

  • Shannon

    Thank you guys so much for these great insights! Experience is so valuable to self-publishing. I think the more people learn about it the more they realize how much it favors authors. We really appreciate everyone taking the time to offer their stories, it’s a huge help to everyone thinking about self-publishing. We wish you guys all the best of luck and please let us know if we can be of help!

  • I think more and more people are being forced to take the Indie route because agents and publishers aren’t taking chances on newbies any more – they need to guarantee that they will earn money. The world of publishing is definitely changing. Writers may well get to the point where they have no need for agents of publishers. I’m doing well as an Indie but would still love the security of a publisher so that I could concentrate fully on writing and not have to be constantly coming up with marketing ideas.

  • I went with self publishing so that I could keep my book the way I wanted my book. I wrote it while my husband was on another tour in Iraq to keep myself sane. I had several years of accumulated histories for the most important date in the English language 1066 (English professor), and I enjoy the romance dichotomy of vampires. So, I had fun with history and was horrified at the idea that someone would judge whether or not it would “sell”. It is my art and it sells as such. I have a lot of readers who wouldn’t want one single word changed by someone only interested in profits. However, books 2 & 3 may never be written. It was an amazing luxury being stationed where there was college I could teach at and a mother able to pay for publishing. All that is waaaaay different now. My book is called After Eventide and is available on Lulu.com/Olson727

  • I’m taking it one book at a time!

    Self-publishing might spoil me for all other publishing though. I have so much control over every aspect, and there’s no multi-year wait to see it out.

  • Not sure how to categorize my plan.

    I write and “publish” on my website. If somewhere down the road I get enough interest, I’ll probably self-publish a book through something like Lulu.

    Books are a medium, but not the end goal for me. Each short story is a milestone.

    -c

  • I’ve been submitting to agents for two years now, but not just one book. Two books, two entirely different genres. One adult. One YA. One like nothing else out there. One a lot like what’s popular. The point is that I’m getting nowhere with this method. The only thing that has ever stopped me from going the indie route is, as previously mentioned by another commenter, the stigma that seems to come with it:

    Self-publishing is for people whose work sucks and who can’t otherwise find representation.

    I think that with the way the publishing industry as a whole is changing and more and more authors are changing with it, the unfair stigma is fading right along with the ‘mandatory need’ of having an agent. I’m not at all disrespecting literary agents and the hard work they do for their clients, I’m simply realizing out loud that they may not be as vital as they were before. I would love to have an agent on a partnership basis, someone who believes in my work who isn’t a friend or relative, but if the cost of obtaining one is years of waiting for him or her, then I think going on without one might be best.

    Think about it. Years. Some writers find an agent sooner, but most of us are still submitting two, three years later. Then once you do find an agent you have to wait even longer for that agent to sell your book to a publisher. THEN you have to wait another 1-2 years before your book is ever released.

    So in conclusion, I think that indie publishing for many writers is ‘the future’, but going the traditional route will always be the more respected way to go. And that’s OK. However, before anyone self-publishes, I can’t stress enough how important it is that you have your book hardcore edited either by a professional editor, or someone who really knows their stuff. And get a professional cover made. The downside to not having an agent is being more susceptible to making yourself look like a fool. And that’s my biggest fear about my own work!

  • Suz

    I’m definitely sticking with self-publishing eBooks. If a traditional publisher comes along and offers me a deal to publish only my paper books, leaving me all eBook, cover art and editing rights. Sure, I’ll take them up on that! lol.

    Paper books will eventually be gone as a way for authors to make money. Say by the year 2025? :)

  • I expect to stay indie indefinitely, with the caveat that if at some point a traditional publisher wanted to take over on the paperback front, without requiring ebook rights, and would give me substantial control over cover and other such decisions, I’d be interested. (It sounds like a too-good-to-be-true deal, but at least one author has received such a deal. I don’t expect to be offered anything of the sort in the foreseeable future….)

    Less than a year ago, I knew almost nothing about self-publishing and was busily gathering information about agents and publishers, queries and manuscript format. The more I learned, the better the indie approach sounded, and the more problematic it seemed to go with traditional publishing in the current climate.

  • * What’s your self-publishing endgame?
    My goal is to amass as many readers as possible, by whatever means necessary.

    * Has your view on self-publishing versus traditional publishing changed as your publishing experience has evolved?

    Definitely. When I started writing, self-publishing was only for those who could not get a traditional publisher. Even if they did self-publish, good luck finding distribution. That was an entrenched attitude. Finally got it through my head that self-publishing is not a “last resort” it’s an OPTION. Writer after writer is proving it can be done well.

    * How do you feel about self-pubbers who have gone on to receive traditional publishing contracts? Is this evidence of the relavence of self-publishing or are these authors “selling out?”

    Readership. It’s all about readership. I’m a huge reader who doesn’t care where I find good stories. If self-pubbing gets more readers, then self-pub. If trad pubbing gets more readers, then trad pub. Writers should do whatever works best for them.

    * What advice would you give to other authors struggling to define their publishing path and goals?

    Focus on readership. Stop chasing fame and fortune through the approval of one agent or one editor. Put your focus on connecting to readers through the quantity and quality of your writing. Step out of old-think and away from old models. Stop with the crazy-making that comes from letting others define what is important. If you focus on communicating with readers and building a reader base, everything else will fall into place.

  • I write because I love to. No matter where my work finds a home, people will read the stories. I don’t care if it’s ten people or ten thousand.

    I will go whatever way my journey takes me. If it’s self-pubbed for life, that’s fine. If I eventually end up in the arms of a traditional publisher, that’s fine too. Either way, I’m doing what I love.

    ~LD

  • I’m doing both – or should I say “all three?” I already have a novel and anthology out with a small-pub. I’m pursing traditional publishing with my MG books, and I’m self-publishing my YA trilogy (first book releases 11-1-11!). I think there are advantages/disadvantages to each and authors have to carefully weigh their options. But it is flat awesome to have the choice!