In a recent article, we discussed the benefits of self-publishing. Here now is the other side of the coin – the challenges. While self-publishing has become eminently doable for the average committed writer, that’s not to say it’s entirely easy. Following are some of the trickier bits to consider when undertaking a self-publishing adventure.
Learning the Process
For starters, it helps to understand the roles that are filled by traditional publishing houses, because you as a self-publisher will need to handle those responsibilities. Most publishers have a small fleet of accountants, IT managers, editors, marketers, formatters, warehouse staff, and sales executives. And that’s not to mention the freelance contractors hired by project, including indexers, translators, proofreaders, project managers, and jacket designers.
Each person who works for a traditional publisher fills only one role and has significant expertise in that area. However, as self-publishers, we need to understand all of those roles. That is not to say that each piece of the puzzle must be completed personally by you, but you will need to be prepared to source outside help for the elements that are beyond your capabilities. To do that effectively, you should have clear expectations for the outcome and a sense of the market value of the service.
Putting in the Time
Self-publishing can be very labor and time intensive. You must be patient, careful, creative, self-aware, and committed to the effort it takes to self-publish. If you try to rush the process, the end result will be sloppy and unprofessional, and it is difficult to build a strong personal brand on the back of poor work.
There will be a learning curve to the process if it’s your first time, so in order to avoid burnout, make sure you are building in time to simply learn what to do and how to do it. Give yourself credit for the new skills you are gaining, even before you’ve typeset a single page or received the first draft of your cover art.
While you obviously cannot have your work formatted before it has been proofread and/or edited, you can have work done on the cover art while proofreading is underway. To keep the timeline as short as possible, make out a master list of each required task and then arrange the list so that you and your contractors can, as often as possible, be making progress at the same time.
Funding the Venture
The cost to self-publish varies a lot based on the length of your book and the additional services you choose to purchase, whether that is a professional editor, typesetter, or designer. And don’t forget that publishing is only half the battle. Once the book is available, you will need to do consistent marketing in order to find your audience.
At the bottom end, you should expect to spend at least $300, but the average is more like $650, and can easily climb into the thousands of dollars depending on how aggressively you market the book.
We recommend that before you jump into self-publishing, you sit down and determine how much you are able to invest in the project. Once you have that overall number, you can start doing more detailed research to decide on elements you can complete yourself or ask a friend/family member to do, and which pieces will require deeper investment. This will differ for every writer based on their skill sets and other circumstances, but everyone can save some money if they are thoughtful about the budget.
Accepting Input
You are surely a very talented writer, but all successful writers have editors. At the very least, you should engage a professional proofreader to clean up grammar mistakes and typos. An editor can help you enhance the flow of the work and point out places where more information could be helpful, as well as spots where the text may be repetitive.
One of the attractions of self-publishing is that you retain all the creative control. But very often the final product will be more polished and professional if you are willing to accept input from outside parties. It is extremely difficult for anyone to self-edit, even professional editors. We all tend to read what we meant, rather than what’s really there.
So one of the best pieces of advice we can offer in terms of meeting the challenge of self-publishing is to have your book read by as many different people as possible before publication and to be open to constructive criticism about every element, from the story to the cover art. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but a book that is published as part of a team effort is usually a more marketable and successful venture.
Best of luck to you in your publishing journey! Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions about the process or to be put in touch with professionals who can help.
