Has anyone here self-published a book?
I have undertaken an enormous project of my own, and would love any insight that the tribe might have.
I have undertaken an enormous project of my own, and would love any insight that the tribe might have.
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Utah
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Re: Self Publishing.
Tue, November 4, 2003 - 3:29 PMDon't expect to make any money.
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Re: Self Publishing.
Tue, November 4, 2003 - 10:04 PMI'll be happy to break even... and that's okay by me. This is, after all, a labor of love.
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Re: Self Publishing.
Fri, November 14, 2003 - 6:14 PM(i didnt realize this was going to be so long . . . )
here are my thoughts about self-published books, though i have to admit its a TOTALLY biased aesthetic issue to me.
all the self-published (as in, you have an independent printing company make them for you, but you pay for everything) books i have ever seen have been ugly and cheaply made. poor paper quality (too thin, or newsprint-like texture), poor binding quality (doesnt lie flat, and wrinkles in the spine), and poor cover quality: cheap paper covers that are either weirdly glossy (like galleys and proofs) or chip and peel, poor choice in cover design (which i have to admit, i dont know if its a problem with the authors choice, or the companys choice), and often, but not always, poor printing quality.
i know that doesnt seem too helpful, but those are things i would watch out for. im assuming you dont want to bind it yourself (which is what i do to avoid all those things, but i also dont write novels or large poetry collections). So my main suggestion is this:if you cant go to the company, ask them for a sample of a book that has done well for them, or that they are proud of (buy it if you have to) and make sure you like the texture, weight, and printing and design quality. try to find a company that will either let you make a lot of choices in the paper, cover, and design areas, or that you have complete design confidence in. also, a lot of self publishing places have particular genres, maybe choose one that matches yours and could link you to distributors as well?
BUT NO MATTER WHAT!! get an actual book from them, dont go from photos or someone elses word, make sure you get to hold one of their products and flip through it, thats what people will do to yours before they buy it . . .
from what i understand, the main reason people go to self publishing companies is because they can get an isbn and copy rights in the deal. if this isnt so important to you, i would look into basic printing places and just make 20 of your books at a time, and know you have complete design freedom (from images, to paper, to font, to bind style). its cheaper, faster and prettier, and if you are REALLY insane, hand bind it yourself (even nicer).
janina -
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Re: Self Publishing.
Fri, November 14, 2003 - 9:26 PM
I have worked in visual communications for 10 years, and am intimately familiar with printing... and I plan on using printers (and not "publishers") for the project.
It's solid advice though... it's happens to be an area where I'm not too worried.
I mostly posed the question to see if there are things I haven't thought to ask yet... and slowly, I'm getting the picture that I have the tools necessary to move forward.
One area that I'm thinking I'll be lacking in, is distribution.
Comments on this area may prove especially useful. -
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Re: Self Publishing.
Sat, November 15, 2003 - 6:30 PMwhat are you writing? what do you want to do with your book? how much time do you have to push it? are you looking at this as a future carrier in writing? or do you just want to get your stuff out there for a small group of people while you follow other dreams? its hard to give you suggestions with out that information.
my knowledge of self published books comes strictly from working in book stores: hunting down the popular ones, testing out new ones, and hosting readings with people who used to or still do self published work. so, in the meantime, heres somemore generic information.
there are distributers that work specifically with self published books, but the only ones i know of are genre specific, ie. african american literature . . . new age teachings . . . health and diet . . . ect, but there doesnt seem to be many just for fiction or poetry (though, it could just be that the bookstores ive worked in werent interested in those works, as there tends to be a lot more of it out there) and their distribution (obviously) is never going to be as large as one of the major publishing houses. on the plus side, most of these distibutors are so small, that they are extremely motivated, helpful, and kind (you could probably even call any one of them and find out more info on other ones). also, if it fits in with one of these companies, a lot of them will set up book tours and radio shows, which is what ive noticed most self published authors rely on more than anything else.
all the self published authors that came through the last store i worked at promoted their book relentlessly, and did hundreds of readings in their area. most of them ended up with a distributer AFTER doing these hundreds of readings, and started slowly to tour larger and larger areas until they were picked up by a major publishing house like Simon & Schuster or Time Warner.
really, it all depends on what you want, and how hard you want it. ive talked to a lot of self published authors, and i already know i dont want it that bad, i just like writing and binding and making things, the rest, to me, is boring. if you are super ambitious, check out PGW,they are distributors for very small publishers (including Soft Skull), have wide distribution, and are really nice. i dont think they do self published work, but they distribute for well over 100 independent presses, maybe you could work something out with one of them?
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Re: Self Publishing.
Wed, December 17, 2003 - 11:38 AMHi there -- I have worked in publishing for about 10 years and have, in the past 3 years, gotten involved with a very very small publishing house. The publisher has so far published two of his own works and one letterpress chapbook of an unsung 60's poet. You can visit the site here: www.superstitionstreet.com. We have one more book of the poet's coming out and one novel of the publisher's. So you could call us a self-publisher, sort of.
Here are the pros and cons of self publishing.
Pro: You can say what you want to say
You can make the book like the way you want it to look, which is only limited by money
You get to keep any money you make
You have all control over publicity, marketing, etc.
Con:
You probably won't make any money (breaking even is possible, although not necessarily probable)
You have to do all the legwork of getting the book out there.
People in publishing are, in general, incredibly biased against people who self-publish, although, in my opinion, as much crap is published by mainstream publishers as by self publishers.
You will be greatly misunderstood.
It can be difficult to get a distributor, depending on how far off the maintsream your writing is.
Now, for my own part, I think more people *should* publish their own stuff. I publish my own zines and stickers. I have friends who do the same, and publish their own books (www.wendyomatik.com is one). I even have a friend who does his own CD's and gives them away (www.simplemusic.com). It can be fun, aggravating, rewarding, inspiring, frustrating, and incredibly educational.
As far as design goes, many self published books are cheaply done because printing is expensive. On the other hand, you have much more leeway, depending on the amount of money you have to spend and how many talented friends you have who are willing to help. Our books have been designed for free by a friend of mine, and I think you'll agree that the 'The Love Book' is quite beautiful.
See also www.wonderella.com for more nice looking self-publishing.
Anyway, it's hard to self publish, but it can be a great experience. You get out of it what you bring to it.
Hope this helps!
-Melissa
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Re: Self Publishing.
Wed, August 25, 2004 - 9:14 AMMy publishing company got its start self-publishing my own work, and has now, after 12 years, expanded to nearly 50 titles (ten are written or co-written by me and five by my ex).
Someone else in this thread seems to assume that "self-publishing" means that you go to one of the companies that puts your manuscript in book form and prints it for you. I don't understand how or why these companies continue to exist -- layout and design tools are easy enough for anybody to use, and all the info about logistical stuff like ISBNs, as well as marketing and distribution, is laid out for you in several good books (I recommend Dan Poynter's "Self-Publishing Manual) -- why give perfectly good money to someone else to do what you can do easily, and better, yourself?
Be conservative with the size of your press run -- I've seen a lot of self-publishers get overambitious and wind up with a garage full of unsellable books. Give yourself permission to make mistakes, 'cause you will -- that's one good reason to start small. And enjoy it -- if you're not having fun, there's no way it'll be worth it to you.
Janet
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Re: Self Publishing.
Sun, August 29, 2004 - 4:39 PMHey everyone... thanks for all your replies.
Let me shed a little more light on what I'm doing and a little about how things are coming along... perhaps it will generate some more conversation (which would be nice), but I guessing this thread has run its course.
I am publishing a work that has fallen into the public domain, it has a built-in audience, and there are bookstores across the country that cater to that audience (among others)... perhaps I should have called this thread "self re-publishing". Hehe.
I'm in negotiations now with a nationally acclaimed illustrator, and I am working on deals for monetizing the artwork to fund the project.
Right now I'm putting final touches on the gallies, and trying to figure out how large the initial run should be (any help on developing a heuristic for that would be appreciated).
At any rate, I'm on my way!
I'll be sure to let y'all know how it's going as things move ahead.
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Re: Self Publishing.
Sat, April 16, 2005 - 12:29 AMHave you thought about using an online print-on-demand (POD) company for your book?
I know those get a lot of flack, like vanity presses do, but I published three books through Lulu wwww.lulu.com and I think the quality is great.
The plus side is that printer services like that ask for no upfront costs. The cost comes when someone buys a book. Of course, you can buy a parcel of books yourself, too. And, they offer ISBN services, so you can get your book distributed by Ingram and stuff.
The downside is that you don't have direct contact with the printer, of course, in case something goes wrong. But the support at Lulu is top notch.
Also, book sizes can be limited with online POD services. Lulu only has a couple of book sizes right now (they're going to be adding more soon). Cafe Press seems to have a full line of book sizes that they offer, but there costs are a bit more. Again, the only cost to you is when you yourself purchase your stuff.
Just and idea for ya.
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Re: Self Publishing.
Mon, June 27, 2005 - 11:32 AMok, i just joined this tribe and already learned a lot from this thread alone... thanks all!
but i am now extremely curious: how is this project coming along Silus? -
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Re: Self Publishing.
Wed, June 29, 2005 - 10:02 PMIf you need someone to design your book cover give me a shout !!
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